


Eyes Wide Open

by juicytree21



Series: Things Aren't Always As They Seem [2]
Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Frottage, Hope, Injury, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Mentions of Coach's death, Mild Smut, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Other survivors - Freeform, Racist Language, Stress, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-11 15:45:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 25,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juicytree21/pseuds/juicytree21
Summary: Discovering that the last 7 months of your life was a dream takes a serious toll on one's psyche. Panic attacks, stress, hallucinations, and anxiety sink in and you feel like your world is collapsing. And on top of having to deal with that, you also have to deal with the death of a friend and the reality that the man you love doesn't love you back.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Holy cow guys!!! Part two!! Part Dos!! Part deux!! It's finally here. After months of procrastinating *ahem* I mean "writing", I've finally delivered chapter one of Eyes Wide Open!!

**Nick's POV**

Nick pulled his knees up as much as his injured ribs would let him and buried his face between them. This was too much. How could that have just been a dream? How was none of it real? 

 

He dared a glance up at Ellis and damn him, that look of concern on his face made Nick just want to grab him and kiss him. But that hadn't been real…

 

A keening whine escaped his throat that quickly turned to a growl of frustration. Rochelle and Ellis didn't deserve him freaking out on them. They needed him sane. The problem was, he wasn't entirely sure that he was. 

 

Rochelle crouched next to Nick and placed a hand on his knee. He jerked his leg away from her and she sighed.

 

“Nick? What's wrong?” He shook his head and covered his ears.

 

“I think he's in shock.” Ellis said quietly. She nodded and stood.

 

“That's obvious. But didn't you hear him mention a dream?” Ellis nodded and Rochelle grabbed his arm to pull him away from Nick. 

 

They crossed the room to sit on the hood of the park ranger truck that was parked in the middle of the equipment shed. Rochelle crossed her legs and stared at Nick who was rocking back and forth.

 

“Something is broken inside him.” She said softly. Ellis frowned deeply and sighed.

 

“What’re we gonna do? We can't stay here. We got no food, no ammo, and this place ain't secure. And the damn zombies are gonna be here any second now.” She bit her lip. 

 

“Do you think you can fix this jeep up?” She patted the hood.

 

“If I had the right tools, sure. But this place is empty. And it ain't safe to wander out there without a gun or somethin’. A crowbar ain't gonna get me very far.” 

 

“I know. But we can't get weapons unless she's fixed up. Do you think you could scavenge some parts from the chopper?” He shook his head.

 

“There are a dozen reasons that idea won't work. We gotta figure something out.”  
\---------------------------------------------  
Nick was laying on the mattress in the floor staring at the ceiling. His mind was blank and his eyes were glazed over. He could sense the other two were watching him. He sat up slowly and glanced around the building they were in. 

 

It was small and rundown and he could hear birds chirping in the rafters. He figured it must have been a utility shed. He looked over at Rochelle and Ellis who were talking to each other quietly and occasionally glancing over at him. 

 

There was a soft ringing in his ears and he squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced. The ringing grew louder and he suddenly wished he had some Advil. Hell, he'd settle for a shotgun right about now. 

 

“Nick?” He looked and saw Rochelle standing in front of him. 

 

“Yeah?” His throat was still dry and scratchy and his voice sounded weak and hoarse

 

“Do you need some pain pills? I've got a couple left and you look like you could use them.” He nodded once and leaned back against the cold concrete wall. 

 

She reached into her pocket to pull out the small pill bottle out of her pocket. She shook out three pills and went to put them in his hand but jerked his hand away from hers. She sighed and crouched in front of him. 

 

“Nick, I'm not gonna hurt you. You can trust me. You're safe.” He frowned and timidly held his hand out again. She dropped the pills in his hand without touching him and smiled softly. 

 

“Water.” He croaked. She nodded and stood to grab the water off the table across the room. She brought it back and opened the bottle. She put on the ground in front if him and he snatched it up and took a longs gulp.

 

“Don't drink too much too fast. You'll get sick.” He lowered the bottle and put it on the ground next to him. She picked it up and screwed the cap back on. 

 

“Was it quick?” She cocked her head.

 

“Was what quick?” 

 

“Coach. He didn't suffer right?” She frowned and shook her head.

 

“Dead on impact. He didn't suffer.” He nodded and leaned against the wall.

 

“Good. He deserved to live but I'm glad he didn't suffer. I wish I could put flowers on his grave or something.” He was wringing his hands and he could feel a lump in his throat. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

 

“Nick. Can I ask you something?” He nodded without looking at her. He heard her shuffle and he peeked at her. She had sat down on the floor in front of him and was looking at him with concern.

 

“What was your dream about?” He shook his head rapidly.

 

“No. No, I'm not telling you.” She inhaled sharply.

 

“Nick, you can talk to me. I'm not gonna judge you.” He looked up at her and she scooted back a bit. There was a fire in his eyes that frightened her to her core.

 

“No, Rochelle. You wouldn't be able to understand. You could never fathom the hell I went through.” 

 

“So what? You had a nightmare. Talk about it.” He glared at her.

 

“It was the opposite of a nightmare. I was happy. It was a sort of paradise.” She cocked her head.

 

“So why was it hell? It was a good dream.” He was rearing up slightly and she furrowed her brow.

 

“It was a great dream. But I wasn't in there two days.” 

 

“So how long were you in there?”

 

“7 months.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Ellis’ POV**

 

Ellis was rummaging around the shed looking for anything that might serve as a weapon. But he'd only found some granola bars and a flashlight. He groaned in dismay and kicked the desk he'd been searching through. The desk and moved a bit and a piece of paper fell off of it.

 

He picked it up and unfolded it. A crudely drawn map was sketched out on the piece of notebook paper. He grinned and crossed the room to Rochelle who was sitting on an oil drum reading a hunting magazine.

 

“Rochelle! Look what I found!” She looked up at him and furrowed her brow.

 

“What is it?” 

 

“A map. It ain't much of one but it's still a map. And look here,” he said pointing to a highlighted part of the map. “We're here and the nearest ranger station is here. We can get tools and stuff. Probably a gun too.” She pondered it for a moment.

 

“It's not much of a plan but it's the best one we've got right now. How far is it from here?” 

 

“Map says two miles. I could get there and back with what we need in about an hour or so.” She frowned and furrowed her brow.

 

“It's gonna be dangerous Ellis. I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to go alone.” He looked at the map again before folding it up and stuffing in his back pocket.

 

“Well I still gotta try. Plus the damn zombies ain't made it here yet.” She nodded and jumped off the oil drum. She picked up the crowbar off the ground next to Nick’s mattress and tossed it to him. 

 

“Be careful, OK sweetie? Try and come back in one piece.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ellis had been walking for about 10 minutes before he heard growling in the trees. He scanned the trees quickly and picked up his pace. There weren't many trees for any zombies to hide in but he still felt like he was being followed. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the growling again.

 

RAAAAAHH!!!

 

He turned around right as a hunter leaped out from the huge tree in front of him. He swung the crowbar, hitting the hunter in the face. It hit the ground and skidded to a stop. It twitched a bit before Ellis straddled it and hit it in the head again, it's brains oozing out onto the dusty path.

 

He stood and brushed himself off. He wiped the crowbar off on the hunter’s tattered shirt and grimaced. Ellis kicked the thing once more before continuing his walk.

 

He encountered a few more regular infected before finally arriving a large building that seemed to have been a nature center before the infection. He could a large white building not that far away from it and he started jogging towards it. There was a padlock on the doors and he frowned before walking around the building, trying to find another way in. He finally saw some crates stacked up against the back of the building underneath a large window. 

 

It took him a few minutes to climb the large crates but when he made it to the top, he could see a few jeeps and what looked like a small office. He searched the room for movement before shattering the window. Once he'd cleared the glass away, he climbed through the window and jumped down. 

 

He bent his knees before he hit the ground and he was glad he did. The jump down was at least 15 feet and if he hadn't, he'd have broken his ankles. He stood and shook himself off before walking towards the jeep directly in front of him. 

 

“I'm really hoping yew work. Nick and Ro ain't gonna be to happy if I come back without yew.” He walked around to the driver's side and climbed in. He checked the car quickly for the keys before he found them in the glove box. Ellis stuck the keys in the ignition and said a little prayer before turning them. The car puttered before roaring to life.

 

“Hallelujah!” The gas tank read as full and he pumped his fist in the air.

 

“Now let's get yew out of here.” He moved to the pull the door shut when he heard a noise.

 

“Put your hands up!” He froze and put his hands up. The car door opened wider and suddenly a rifle was in his face.

 

“Listen I don't want no trouble. I just want a car so I can help my friends.” 

 

“How many of you are there?” He could tell that the person holding the gun was a young man. He turned to look at the kid who was shaking as he held the gun. 

 

“Including me, three of us. Yew’re welcome to join us, kid. Or I can fix up one of these other jeeps and send yew on yer way.” The kid furrowed his brow and steadied the rifle.

 

“You don't sound like you're from Texas.” Ellis shook his head.

 

“That's cause I ain't. I'm from Savannah.”

 

“Georgia? Are you from that helicopter crash?” He nodded and the kid sighed. He lowered the gun and Ellis drew a breath of relief.

 

“Okay. That means you're not one of them.”

 

“One of them? Who's “them”?” The kid shook his head and slung his rifle over his shoulders. He offered his hand and Ellis lowered his hands to shake the kids hand.

 

“I'm Miguel. What's your name?”

 

“I'm Ellis. Pleasure to meet yew.” Miguel scratched through back of his head and frowned.

 

“Sorry about the gun in your face. I've been dealing with some bad _pendejos_ lately.”

 

“It's alright. So how old are yew Miguel?” 

 

“I'm 20.” Ellis frowned.

 

“I ain't an idiot. How old are yew really?” Miguel frowned and looked at his feet.

 

“I turned 17 last month.” Ellis nodded and jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the jeep.

 

“So, yew got people yew need to get back to? Or do yew wanna join me?”

 

“It's just me.” Ellis smiled.

 

“Then hop in, kid. We got places to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is gonna be switching POV's quite a bit but mostly it'll be Nick's POV. I hope you guys also like Miguel. I think he's a breath of fresh air that'll hopefully be a guiding light down the road. 
> 
> P.S I used some Spanish words in here but for when they're talking in Spanish a lot, I just wrote it in English and italicized it. I figured it'd be easier for the majority of you guys, since the majority speaks English

**Miguel’s POV**

 

Miguel was sat in the passenger seat, his whole body vibrating with energy. He hadn't met any survivors that didn't try to rob or kill him in days. And now he had the chance to be with a group? The opportunity was to good pass up. 

 

They'd been driving for about three minutes before Ellis pulled up in front of a small building. He parked the jeep and jumped out. He began walking towards the building before he realized Miguel wasn't following him. 

 

“What're yew doing? Get out of the car.” Miguel hopped out and closed the car door quietly. He jogged over to Ellis stopped a few feet behind him.

 

“Why are yew lingering? I ain't gonna bite yer head off or nothin’.”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Ellis shrugged and knocked on the door. He heard shuffling before a short woman in a pink shirt pulled the door open. She immediately noticed Miguel and her brow furrowed.

 

“Who the hell is that?” Ellis motioned Miguel forward.

 

“Rochelle, this is Miguel.” Miguel nodded politely and she frowned. 

 

“You're just a kid.” 

 

“I'm not a kid, ma’am. I'm 17.” She whistled lowly and gestured for the two of them to enter.

 

“First off, 17 is still a kid. And second, don't call me ma'am.” 

 

“Yes ma-” He stopped mid-sentence and bit his lip. He just nodded and Rochelle crossed the room to a figure who was laying on a ratty mattress, wrapped in a black blanket.

 

“Who's that?” Miguel asked Ellis quietly. 

 

“That's Nick. He ain't doing so well.” He looked sad for a moment before his blinding grin was back on his face. “Don't worry about him though. He'll be back on his feet in no time.”

 

“What happened to him?” 

 

“A smoker got to him. Left him with some broken ribs and a bad ankle.”

 

“Smoker?” Ellis nodded and looked at Miguel.

 

“Yeah. Them nasty ones with the long tongues. They wrap their tongues ‘round you and try to crush your ribcage or somethin’.” 

 

“What?! I've never seen one of those. I've only seen the regular ones and the _jinetes_.” 

 

“ _Jinetes_? What the hell are those?”

 

“Those creepy little ones who jump on your back!” Ellis nodded.

 

“Yer talkin’ ‘bout jockeys.” Miguel shrugged.

 

“I guess.”

 

“Who's that?” Miguel turned to see Nick sitting up, a mean look on his face.

 

“I'm Miguel.” He crossed the small room to stand in front of Nick. “You must be Nick.” 

 

“Where'd you find this one?” Nick asked, looking over at Rochelle.

 

“I didn't find him, Ellis did.” Nick clenched his jaw.

 

“Of course. Leave it to Ellis to pick up a fucking stray dog.” Miguel frowned. 

 

“I'm not a stray dog. And watch the name calling, asshole. I'm the one with the gun. Not you.” Nick glared at the kid before turning his head away to look at the magazine next to him. Rochelle put her hands on Miguel shoulders and turned him away.

 

“Honey, Nick isn't doing very well right now.” 

 

“I know. Ellis told me he got snatched up by a _fumador_.” 

 

“ _He's not doing well mentally either. He was unconscious for two days and he's trying to re-adjust. He also isn't very fond of strangers. So try to give him a break, ok?_ ” Miguel was surprised to hear Rochelle speak Spanish but he nodded anyways and she smiled softly.

 

“So are we getting out of here? Or are we gonna stay here forever?” Ellis piped up.

 

“We've got to pack up what little stuff we have first. Then we can hit the road.” Rochelle said.

 

“Then let's pack.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

It only took four minutes to pack (Miguel counted) and load up the car. Now Rochelle was crouched in front of Nick, talking to him softly. He couldn't walk but he refused to let anyone but Rochelle touch him and even she was only allowed to touch his hands.

 

“Please?” Miguel heard Rochelle plead. Nick glared at her for a second before sighing and nodding. 

 

“Miguel, could you come here?” He trotted over and she stood to stand next to him. 

 

“I need your help getting him to the car.” Miguel looked at Nick and then back at Rochelle before frowning.

 

“I don't think we're strong enough. Why doesn't Ellis just carry him?”

 

“No!” Nick shouted suddenly. Miguel jumped and stared down at Nick.

 

“Why not?” 

 

“Because I said no.”

 

The two of them wrapped one of his arms around their shoulders and hoisted him up slowly. He winced in pain but didn't make a sound. They slowly started to walk towards the door, Nick occasionally making a noise. Ellis walked back through the door as they were carrying Nick and frowned.

 

“Do yew need my help?” 

 

“Don't touch me.” Nick hissed. Ellis looked shocked.

 

“Are yew sure? I can carry yew to the jeep.”

 

“I said, don't fucking touch me.” Ellis looked hurt and backed away a bit.

 

“I'll go start the car.” He said quietly before turning and running out of the building.

 

“ _God he's a dick._ ” Miguel said out loud. Nick turned his head to look at him and glared.

 

“No I'm not.” 

 

“Are you all fucking bilingual?!”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

It took them a few more minutes to get him out to the car. Ellis sat in the driver's seat the whole time, watching anxiously. They lifted him into the backseat and he winced in pain when he sat down. Rochelle buckled his seat belt for him and threw his blanket over him. 

 

“Miguel, hop in the back.” He nodded and walked around the car to climb into the back seat next to Nick. Nick looked over at him before leaning his head against through window.

 

“ _Hey, what's your problem dude? Do you like, hate Ellis or something?_ ” 

 

“Shut up, kid.” Rochelle glanced into the backseat before she continued speaking with Ellis.

 

“ _I know you understand me. How does a white boy like you know Spanish anyways? High school?_ ”

 

“ _Yeah, and I've dealt with the Blue Eyed Devils before. Gotta know the language when you're selling blow._ ” Miguel’s eyes widened and he shifted away from the older man.

 

“Guys, we're gonna drive until we find a town. We have no map or anything and no idea where we're at.” Rochelle said, turning in her seat to look at them.

 

“I know where we're at. We're like 80 miles outside Schulenburg.” Nick shot a look at Miguel.

 

“Schulenburg? That's a real place?” 

 

“Of course it's a real place. I grew up near there." Nick shook his head.

 

“We can't go there.” Ellis turned around and gave Nick an angry look.

 

“Why not? What the hell is wrong is Schulenburg?” Nick gave Rochelle a pleading look and she looked at Miguel.

 

“Anywhere closer?” 

 

“Yeah there's a small town not that far from here. I'll show you the way.” He leaned forward in the seat, giving Nick one more glance before he gave his full attention to giving Ellis the directions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rochelle’s POV**

Rochelle had never felt such joy then when she found an iPod lying in the street outside the gas station they were looting. It had been tucked inside of a weatherproof backpack with a pair of earbuds wrapped around it. She hadn't found a charger but she hoped that the gas station had some.

When she entered the station, Ellis and Miguel were arguing over a bag of Cheetos. Miguel had them clutched in his arms and he was glaring at Ellis. 

“What is going on here boys?” Ellis looked relieved to see her.

“He thinks he can have those chips. I need ‘em.” Miguel scoffed.

“I'm a growing child. I need these more. Besides, I saw them first.” She put her hands on her hips and scowled.

“You're fighting like children. Just let him have the chips, sweetie.” She said to Ellis who had his arms crossed.

“They weren't for me.” He stomped off and Miguel frowned. 

Rochelle turned away from Miguel and headed towards the electronics accessories. She browsed the rack until she found a car charger for the iPod. She pocketed the small charger and headed back towards the non-perishable foods. Ellis was filling up an industrial trash bag with jerky, trail mix, and snack cakes. 

Miguel was by the coolers putting water jugs in a shopping cart. He had almost filled the cart up the top and she wasn't sure how much water he could for in it. 

“That's enough water for now. You get that out to the jeep. I'm gonna grab some other essentials.” Miguel nodded and pushed the cart out of the store. 

Rochelle headed to the small first aid kits they had lined up near the counter. She grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with them. She also made sure to grab some pain pills that were sold separately from the kits.

“Rochelle?” She looked up to see Miguel standing in the entrance.

“Yes?” He blushed before holding up a box of tampons. 

“I don't know if you get your period but…” He trailed off and she smiled at him.my

“I don't sweetie. But I'm very happy that you asked me. It's very considerate.” He smiled and put the box down before leaving the store.

She grabbed some toilet paper off the shelf and tucked it under her arm. She could see Miguel and Ellis loading up the back of the jeep. Nick had the backseat opened and he was smoking a cigarette. 

She left the gas station and whistled for Nick’s attention. He curled his lip and inhaled deeply. She shook her head and walked forward to pull the cigarette out of his mouth.

“What the hell Rochelle?!” She rolled her eyes.

“If you're going to smoke, don't do it so close to the car and don't do it around Miguel.” He groaned and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket.

“The kid is the one who grabbed me the pack. Don't know how he knows I smoke but I'm not complaining.” He lit up the cigarette and took a drag. She rolled her eyes again and walked around the back of the car to see Miguel struggling to make all the cases and jugs of water fit. 

“I told yew that yew grabbed too many.” Ellis mumbled before walking around the drivers side.

“ _What the hell is his problem_? _I didn't do anything to him and he's acting like I kicked his puppy_.” Miguel asked, making sure to keep his voice low even though Ellis didn't understand his Spanish.

“ _I think he's still upset about_...” She trailed off, looking at Nick to help Miguel understand where her sentence was going. 

He nodded and shoved the last case of water in the trunk. Rochelle piled her bags up on top of the cases and closed the trunk door. She slapped Nick’s knee as she passed him and he glared at her before flicking his cigarette into the dirt.

“So where do we head next? Further west? Maybe down into Mexico?” Rochelle asked as she climbed into the passenger seat. Ellis had a map open across his lap and he was circling areas on the map.

“We can't go to Mexico.” Miguel piped up from the backseat. 

“Why not?” She asked, turning in her seat.

“Mexican government sealed the border. Nobody is allowed in or out. I tried and I was almost shot.” Her jaw dropped.

“Oh my God! Are you ok?” He shrugged.

“I'm alive.”

“So why not head North?” Nick asked.

“Towards Canada?” Nick shrugged.

“I was thinking Michigan but Canada is fine.” Ellis crumbled the map up and threw it out the window. Rochelle frowned.

“Ellis? Why’d you do that?”

“That's a Texas map, not a map of the US. So that ain't gonna help us find our way to Canada.” He said, through clenched teeth.

“Why are you still angry?” Rochelle asked quietly.

“Don't worry about it. Let's just find a map.” He turned the car on and sped out of the small parking lot.


	5. Chapter 5

**Nick’s POV**  
\---------------

Nick was sitting in the front seat of the jeep, smoking a cigarette. Miguel was sound asleep in the back, his head resting on Rochelle’s lap. Ellis had taken over as driver about six hours after they'd started driving and Nick had been tense ever since. He saw Ellis shooting him glances every few minutes and he sighed before holding the cigarette out to young man.

“You want a puff? You keep glancing at me.”

“I don't smoke.” Ellis focused his eyes on the road. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the wheel tighter.

“I'm sorry about earlier.” Nick said. 

“It's fine.”

“No it's not. I was...am angry. But it's not your fault. Or Rochelle’s.” He said softly, taking another drag. Ellis nodded and his grip relaxed a bit.

“Why’re yew angry?” He asked softly.

“You wouldn't understand.” Nick snapped 

“How do yew know?” He shot back. Nick sighed and flicked his cigarette out the open window.

“I was gone for seven months.” He said, almost whispering. Ellis looked at him confused.

“Gone where?” Nick drew in a shaky breath and dug his nails into the armrest.

“When I was unconscious, I had a dream. It was fantastic. It was a really intense one that felt more real than anything. And in my dream, seven months passed.” Ellis’ looked shocked and his eyes widened.

“Fuck, I'm sorry. Yew must be miserable.” Nick scoffed.

“Miserable is an understatement. It made me feel safe but it also dredged up shit from my past I'd like to forget.” 

They fell silent and Ellis focused on driving. Nick thought about lighting another cigarette but decided against it. Instead he sat there, leaning against the window.

“What the hell is that?” Ellis suddenly asked, bringing the car to a stop. Nick looked up and frowned.

A tanker was overturned with oil spilled all over the road and spreading across the dry dirt on each side of the road. Ellis put the jeep in park and climbed out. 

“What are you doing?” Nick hissed.

“I'm gonna see if we can drive around.” He whispered back.

“Wake Rochelle and the kid up then. They can help you.” Ellis shook his head and pulled his crowbar out from under his seat.

“I'll be fine. And if I'm not, I'll probably scream or somethin’.” Nick sighed and watched Ellis walk towards the tanker slowly.

He disappeared around the side of it and Nick drew in a sharp breath and chewed on his lip. Then suddenly Ellis was screaming and running back towards the jeep.

“SHIT!” He screamed as he sprinted back. The ground shook and Nick watched a car fly over the jeep.

“What's going on?!” Rochelle asked suddenly. Miguel lifted his head from her lap and blinked wearily.

“TANK!” Ellis screamed. He ripped the door and dove into the front seat. He shifted into reverse and pressed down on the gas. 

The tanker flew off to the side and Nick stared in horror as the tank barreled towards them. Miguel shrieked and pulled his gun out from under the seat.

“What the fuck is that?!” He asked, clearly panicking.

“That's a tank, baby.” Rochelle said, her eyes widening.

“I've never seen one so big!” Nick said.

Ellis spun the car around suddenly and they all leaned right as he righted himself and took off back in the direction they came from. He gunned it and Nick watched the speedometer climb up until they were going a little under 90 MPH.

Nick watched in the side mirror as the tank slowed down and eventually headed back towards the tanker. Ellis slowed down slightly when they couldn't see the tanker truck anymore. Eventually he slowed down to a crawl and kept going until they were about five miles away. He stopped the jeep and drew in a huge gulp of air.

“Holy fuck! I ain't run that fast in my life. Did yew see that?” Ellis asked Nick.

" _That's_ a tank?! HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” Miguel practically screamed. He made the sign of the cross and clasped his hands in prayer.

“How badly do you think the infection has spread across the country if it's already this far into Texas? Do you think it's gone international?” Rochelle asked.

“I hope it hasn't left the country.” Ellis said softly.

“Me too.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis took a different road instead of the highway. It put them back about 20 minutes but this road only had a few infected milling about instead of Tanks.

Rochelle and Miguel suggested they stop somewhere for the night but Ellis just shook his head.

“Where are we gonna stop? We're in the middle of the damn desert?” He asked.

“There are houses out here usually. They're usually several miles in between each other but maybe that's a good thing.” Miguel piped up. 

“Well I'll drive for a little more but if we can't find one, we're sleeping in the car and taking turns watching.” Ellis said, not taking his eyes off the road.

They drove for another 40 minutes before a house came into view. Miguel cheered and Ellis looked somewhat relieved. Nick just dug his nails into his thigh and watched anxiously.

They pulled up in front of the large white house. It was surrounded by shrubbery and had a chain link fence going all the way around the property. There seemed to be no infected around and Ellis pulled into the driveway. Nick frowned and shook his head.

“This place looks like the house from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” 

“Shit, yew’re right.” Ellis said.

“Well let's do a run through and make sure the place is clear.” Rochelle said grabbing her fire axe and hopping out of the car. Miguel followed after her and cocked his rifle.

“Are yew gonna be OK out here?” Ellis asked Nick softly.

“I'll be fine. Just be careful.” Ellis nodded and hopped out of the car, his crowbar in hand.

“Yew too.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis jogged back out the house around 15 minutes later. He approached the passenger side and Nick opened the door.

“Clear?” He nodded.

“There was a hunter in the attic but he was tied up already so he was easy to take care of. Rochelle and Miguel are moving some mattresses from upstairs into the living room.”

“So we're good for tonight?” Ellis nodded.

“Yeah. Now I've gotta get yew in the house.” 

“I can walk perfectly fine.” Ellis crossed his arms.

“Don't be stubborn.” 

“I'm being serious.” 

“Then walk.” 

Nick gave him a steely look and put one foot on the ground. He felt a sharp pain rip through his side but he kept a straight face. He braced himself and lowered his other foot to the ground. The second he put weight on his ankle, he collapsed. Ellis caught him and rolled his eyes.

“Told yew.” 

“Fuck you!” Ellis just chuckled and lifted Nick into his arms bridal style. 

“This is so degrading.” Nick mumbled. 

“Shut up.” 

He carried him into the house and put him down by the couch. Nick lowered himself and sat down on the couch. Another pain shot through his side and he hissed in pain.

“You need some pain pills?” Ellis asked, crouching in front of him.

“Yes, please.” He asked, clutching his side in pain.

Rochelle entered the room with blankets in her arms and a granola bar between her teeth. She dropped the blankets on the mattresses and tossed Nick the granola bar.

“I found some granola bars in the kitchen. Most of the food is gone. I think people have looted this place before.” 

“I'm not surprised.” He said, still wincing in pain.

“Here ya go.” Ellis re-entered the room with a pill bottle in his hand. He pulled three out and handed them to Nick. 

Nick swallowed them dry and grimaced when they stuck to his throat. He swallowed hard again and laid down on the couch.

“I'll go get some water from the jeep.” Rochelle said, picking her axe up. Ellis nodded and turned his attention back to Nick. 

“So...are yew gonna tell me what yer dream was about?” He asked softly.

“I don't want to talk about it. Not yet. I'm not ready.” His chest physically ached and he felt like crying. 

“I'm here if yew ever wanna. Ok?” Ellis said sincerely.

“Thanks, Fireball.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Ellis’ POV**  
\-----------------

Ellis woke to the sound of a shotgun cocking. He opened his eyes and gasped. A woman was standing over him, the shotgun aimed right at his chest.

“Git up. Slowly.” He sat up and climbed to his feet. Rochelle, Nick, and Miguel were still asleep.

“If we're intruding, I'm real sorry. We'll leave.” She shook her head.

“Ya think you can just barge in here and take Freddie’s things? Freddie don't like thieves.” She said, her voice shaking a bit.

“Who's Freddie?” He asked carefully. She growled and curled her lip.

“Freddie is Freddie. Freddie is looking at ya and she'll shoot ya if ya don't get gone now! And she says ya better take the spic and the negro with ya. Or she'll blow their skulls to kingdom come!” 

“Guys!” He said, his voice wavering. Rochelle yawned and sat up. She immediately froze when she saw the woman.

“Nick! Miguel!” She said. Nick groaned and rolled over. His eyes widened when he saw the woman. Miguel sat up slowly, terror in his eyes.

“GIT OUT!” 

“Rochelle grab the stuff.” 

“NO! GIT OUT!” She shrieked again. Ellis put his hands up and nodded.

“Please just let us grab our weapons and we'll leave. We swear.” Her eyes darted nervously but she nodded.

Rochelle grabbed the axe and crowbar out from under the coffee table and Miguel shouldered his rifle. She kept her shotgun fixed on them as they walked to the front door.   
Ellis walked towards the couch slowly, his hands still up. Freddie twitched a bit when he put his hands down and wrapped an arm around Nick’s waist.

“Don't touch ‘im. He can get up on ‘is own.”

“No he can't. He was injured. I have to carry him.” She nodded and he lifted Nick off the couch. Rochelle held the front door open and Ellis carried Nick out the house.

Rochelle ran ahead of them to the jeep while Miguel stayed behind them, his rifle cocked and aimed at Freddie who was on the porch. Ellis lifted Nick into the passenger seat and jogged around the car to the drivers side. He started the car as Miguel and Rochelle climbed into the backseat quickly. 

“AND DON'T NEVER COME BACK, YA HEAR?!” She screamed as she fired her shotgun in the air.

Ellis peeled out of the driveway and took off down the road, dirt kicking up behind the car. He gunned it down the road until the large white house was no longer in view.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

When he finally stopped, they were at a rest stop about 5 miles away. Miguel immediately climbed out the car and collapsed to the dirt, drawing in huge gulps of air.

“I'm so sick of almost dying!” He cried out. 

“So am I, sweetie.” Rochelle said, leaning down to pat his back. She looked up at Ellis and gave him a half smile.“I need some weed.”

“I need some beer.” Ellis said.

“I need a blowjob.” Nick piped up. He leaned out the passenger window a bit and lit a cigarette. 

“I need a nap.” Miguel said, still shaking a bit.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Rochelle took over driving after they left the rest stop. Ellis sat in the backseat with Miguel and played Uno with him. He wasn't sure where they got the cards from but he wasn't complaining.

“Uno!” Miguel cried, slapping down a green skip.

“Dammit.” Ellis said. He drew a card and sighed heavily.

“I'm kicking your ass, dude.” 

“That's what yew think. Draw four!” Miguel frowned.

“Fuck!” 

“Ellis has all yellow, Mick. Don't let it turn yellow.” Nick said from the front seat. 

“Yew can't see my cards. Shut up!” Nick chuckled. 

“I'm just joking Fireball. I know you've got two reds and a blue.” 

“Nick!” 

“Boys, play nice please.” Rochelle said, not taking her eyes off the road. 

“We were before Nick got involved!” 

“I'm bored and you're fun to mess with.” Ellis growled a bit and Miguel chuckled. 

“HOLY SHIT!” Rochelle suddenly shouted. She hit the brakes and they all lurched forward in their seats.

Ellis looked out the windshield and his eyebrows raised. There was a woman standing on the road with a shotgun in her arms and a belt with at least a dozen grenades strapped to it. She smirked when the car fully stopped and lifted her gun. 

“Just gun it. Mow her down.” Nick said softly.

“We can't run someone over, Nick!” Ellis said, sounding shocked.

“Look at her face.” Miguel said softly. 

She had a brand on her cheek that looked like a horseshoe but it was difficult for Ellis to see from 50 feet away. She cocked her gun and aimed at the car.

“Get out!” She shouted.

“What is that, Mick?” Nick asked.

“She's with “ _Los Jinete_ ”.” 

“I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!”

“Why should we?!” Nick shouted out the window.

“What're yew doing?” Ellis hissed.

“Poking the bull.” He said with a smirk.

“I think it's a horse in this case.” Miguel said.

She stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply. Suddenly people started popping up from behind overturned cars and bushes. A man came out from behind a truck with a huge weapon in his hands. He passed it to her and she handed him her shotgun. She placed it on her shoulder and loaded a huge shell into. Ellis gulped.

“It's a fucking rocket launcher.” Nick whispered.

“Get out now, or I'll blow you the fuck up.”   
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, unlike the others, is basically third person omniscient. It's also longer then the other chapters. 1,812 words in total. I hope you all enjoy!

“Oh fuck!” Miguel whispered. Rochelle turned the jeep off and undid her seatbelt. Miguel frowned and put a hand on her shoulder.

“What're you doing?” 

“I'm going to try to negotiate. And if they won't let us keep the jeep, I'm gonna ask if we can at least keep some water and Nick’s pain pills.” She stepped out of the car with her hands up. The woman cocked an eyebrow.

“Your friends need to get out too.”

“Please don't take this jeep. We have an injured man who can't walk and a young boy.” The woman rolled her eyes and lowered the weapon on her shoulder.

“Young boy? How old?” The man behind her asked with a leer. Rochelle curled her lip.

“You can't have him!” She hissed. The woman with the launcher turned to face the man and she slapped him.

“Don't be nasty! Or I'll peel off all your fingernails. AGAIN!” He stepped back a bit.

“We don't want to take your jeep. We're looking for someone. Goes by Miguel.” Rochelle turned back to the jeep and Nick sat up in his seat. 

“The boy's name is Miguel.” Rochelle said softly. The woman jerked her head and two men marched to the jeep. They pulled Miguel out of the backseat and dragged him back to the woman. He struggled against their grasp and shouted out in pain. He was hit across the back of the knees and fell to the ground in front of her. 

She kneeled in front of him and lifted his chin up. His eyes were downcast and the woman smiled.

“ _Hola hijo_.” He looked up at her and nodded.

“Hi mom.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ellis scrambled up into the front seat as Rochelle approached the group. He rolled down the window so they could hear her. Nick heard her mention something about an injured man and he grit his teeth. 

“We have to leave. We can't stay here.” Miguel said in a panicked voice.

“We can't just leave Ro!” Ellis said, facing Miguel with a shocked look.

“He's right, Mick. We're not leaving her.” He chewed on his lip and sunk further down in his seat.

“Uh Nick?” Ellis said. Nick turned away from the kid and frowned. Two men were marching towards the jeep. The one man ripped open the door and grabbed Miguel.

“What're you doing?” Nick demanded. The guy glared at him and shook his head once. Nick nodded as they dragged Miguel out of the jeep kicking and screaming. 

They brought him towards the group, Miguel squirming and crying out. They stood him in front of her and knocked him down to his knees.

“What the hell do they want Miguel for?” Ellis asked. Nick shrugged and watched as the woman kneeled in front of him said something to him. 

“What's she saying to him? Can you hear?” Ellis asked.

“Your ears are better than mine. If you can't hear, I can't.” Nick said sharply. 

Rochelle lowered her arms and the woman stood, pulling Miguel up with her. She threw her arm around his shoulders and smiled at Rochelle. Rochelle nodded and turned towards the jeep. She waved them over and Ellis frowned but started the jeep and drove closer. He stopped when they were within spitting distance and hopped out. Nick leaned out the window with a confused look on his face.

“What's going on, Ro?” Nick asked. 

“This is Miguel's mom. She's been looking for him.” There was panic in her eyes but a calm look on her face.

“Thank you for picking him up. He wandered off and now that I've got him back, well I owe you.” She snapped her fingers and a little boy ran towards the jeep with a paint can. He tagged a horseshoe on the hood of the car and ran back to a group of people near a bush.

“What's that?” Nick asked.

“A horseshoe. I'm sure you noticed our brands?” He nodded. “There aren't many people around here. But the ones who do live here, they'll see the tag and know not to mess with you. We have a bit of a...reputation around here.” Nick nodded.

“So do you want us to leave now?” Rochelle asked.

“You've got an injured man, right?” Nick nodded and waved.

“That would be me.” She nodded.

“Follow us back to our compound. We've got food, running water, electricity, Internet if you can believe it. We've also got a damn good doctor. You can have your man checked out, get a hot shower, clean clothes, some good food and be on your way.” Rochelle smiled and nodded.

“That sounds good.” 

“Then just follow us.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

The compound turned out to be a maximum security prison. There were two, 60 foot chain link fences that were buzzing with electricity and topped with barbed wire. Armed guards walked between the fences, inside the compound, and there were snipers in the watchtowers.

“Pretty sweet setup.” Nick mumbled as they drove into the compound.

“They have kids here.” Rochelle said softly from the backseat.

There was a group of children standing around some play equipment, watching the parade of vehicles drive inside. They seemed to perk up at the sight of the unfamiliar vehicle.

“I haven't seen a human kid in forever.” Nick said.

They followed the cars to a parking lot and parked next to a pickup. Ellis hopped out of the driver's side and walked around the other side to help Nick out. He grunted as he lifted Nick into his arms.

“You need help with your man?” A woman asked from ahead of them. 

“I've got him.” Ellis said defensively, pulling Nick slightly closer. She nodded and opened the door for them. 

“I get tingly all over when you get protective.” Nick said.

“Shut yer trap!” 

They followed the woman for a while until they reached a huge room labeled “infirmary”. She gestured Ellis in front of her and he walked forward to put Nick down on one of the exam tables. 

“Doxie will be here in a minute.” The woman said before leaving the room. 

“I'm not the only one creeped out by this place right?” Nick asked.

“This place ain’t right.” Ellis agreed.

“Didn't Miguel tell us he was on his own? Why would he leave a place like this if something wasn't wrong?” Rochelle asked. 

The door suddenly opened and women in a white lab coat and pink dress entered the room. She smiled softly at them all.

“You must be the new folks. Which one of you is injured?” 

“Nick here.” Ellis said moving aside for her to approach the table.

“How were you injured exactly?”

“Smoker attack followed by a helicopter crash a few hours later.” She grimaced.

“Oh that sounds bad. Can you describe your injuries to me?”

“A dislocated ankle, a couple broken ribs I think, some swelling, and some dizziness too.” She nodded and pulled out her penlight.

She shined in his eyes before squinting and reaching into her pocket to pull out a small notepad. She scribbled something down and pocketed it. 

“Well you definitely suffered from a concussion. As for the rest of your injuries, I'll have to do a further examination. And I'm afraid you'll have to leave the room.” She said turning towards Ellis and Rochelle. 

“Why?” Ellis asked.

“Confidentiality. That and I don't think you'd like to see your friend naked.” Ellis blushed and Rochelle grabbed his arm.

“Well be right outside Nick.” He nodded and the two of them left the room.

“Can you strip for me?” He nodded and pulled off his jacket. He struggled a getting off his shirt and pants but eventually he was sitting in front of her in just his underwear. 

She pulled on a pair of gloves and poked at his ribs. He hissed in pain but she continued poking at them. She also examined his back and ankle which was definitely the worst of his injuries.

“Your ribs are fractured, but broken. I'll tape them up and you'll be fine. Your ankle though,” She said looking at his foot and sighed. “I'll have to reset it. It's not fractured which is lucky but unfortunately, I can't numb it.” He frowned.

“Oh fuck.” She nodded.

“I can't risk what little morphine I have on a simple ankle relocation. So this will hurt like a bitch. And you won't be able to walk on it for a while.”

“Ok. So do it.”

“You might want one of your friends in here to hold your hand. Because I've had people compare this to getting stabbed. It's that bad.” He frowned.

“No. Just do it.” She nodded.

“Lay back, take deep breaths, and please don't kick me.” He nodded and she sat down in front of him. 

He looked up at the ceiling and inhaled sharply. The room was warm but the table as freezing and he couldn't focus on anything except for the feeling of her gloved hands around his ankle.

“Ready?” He nodded.

“One, two, three!” She pulled his ankle down and twisted it right. 

A tortured scream escaped his chest and he felt his whole leg go numb before a wave of pain rushed up his body. His vision went black and he thought for a second that he'd passed out. She immediately started wrapping his ankle with an elastic bandage and he breathed shallowly.

“How do you feel?”

“Like a million bucks.” He gasped out. She smiled and secured the bandage before putting a brace on him. 

“Well aren't you the optimist?” She peeled off  
the gloves and he sat up, careful not to mess up his ribs. 

“I'll tape up your ribs, get you some fresh clothes, and send you to your friends.”

After taping his ribs up and handing him a gray sweat suit, she gave him some pain relievers before leaving the room. He pulled the sweatshirt on and winced in pain as his ribs shifted.

“Nick?” He looked up to see Ellis and Rochelle standing in the doorway.

“Hey guys.” They approached him and Ellis sat down in front of him. 

“We heard yee scream. I think everyone did.” 

“I think I had the right to. That was fucking agonizing.” Rochelle helped him get his legs in the pants and he smiled at her in gratitude.

“Gimme yer foot.” Ellis said. Nick held out his good ankle and rolled his eyes as Ellis put the shoe on his foot and tied it. Ellis pocketed the other shoe and helped him off the table.

“Can you walk?” 

“I'll still need help but it hurts an assload less now.” 

“Well now that you're all patched up, let's go figure out what the hell is wrong with this place. And find Miguel.” Rochelle said. The two men nodded and the three of them left the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had writers block for a while but after starting this chapter I've got my groove back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one week?! I must be dying. 
> 
> Seriously though, I've had a ton of inspiration lately and I've been writing like crazy. This story will definitely be longer than Eyes Wide Shut. It'll probably be around 25 chapters. *fingers crossed*
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

They were lead to the mess hall by a young man who seemed nervous around them. The mess hall itself was filled with people and they were sat at tables chatting away with their friends and families. When they entered the room, everyone fell quiet and turned to look at them. 

“Guys!” They turned to see Miguel standing up and waving them towards his table. His mother was on his right side, eating a sandwich. They crossed the room to sit at the table. He smiled at them and sat back down. 

“Mom, you haven't been officially introduced to my friends. This is Rochelle, Ellis, and Nick.” He said gesturing to them individually.

“It's a pleasure to have you all here. Thank you for watching after my baby.” She said gripping the back of his neck. He shot them a tense smile and picked up his sandwich. 

“It's our pleasure. Miguel is a sweet kid.” 

“I still don't know why that's the name you went with.” Nick frowned. 

“Is Miguel not your name?” He asked.

“No it's not. It's...Eddie.” He said hesitantly. 

“Eddie?” Rochelle questioned. He nodded curtly and his mother smiled.

“He worried me half to death. Having your kid run off on you, not knowing whether they're dead or alive. There's nothing scarier.”

“It is.” Nick said. Rochelle and Ellis both shot him a look before turning back to “Eddie” and his mother.

“So when do you want us to leave? Tonight or tomorrow morning?” Rochelle asked. 

“You can leave whenever you want but you're welcome to stay. You'd have to work to earn your keep but we have plenty of work that need to be done.”

“We'd love to stay.” Rochelle said with a smile. Ellis and Nick looked at her confused but she just smiled wider and the same look was in her eyes from earlier. Nick nodded in agreement.

“Yeah I'm sure there's some way we can help.”

“Wonderful! Then get some food and Eddie will show you to your room. I have business to attend to.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin and snapped her fingers. A young woman rushed forward to take her plate away while another woman rushed forward to wipe down her place at the table.

She stood and leaned down to kiss “Eddie” on the forehead before saluting the three of them. She walked out of the room with a few people trailing after her. The second she left the room Rochelle turned to “Eddie”.

“What the fuck is going on Miguel?”

“Eddie.” He corrected.

“Bullshit. That's not your name. At least not your real name.” Nick said quietly.

“It is when I'm here!” He hissed.

“What is going on here? This place is practically paradise. So why’d you leave?” Rochelle asked, making sure to keep her voice low.

“This place looks good to outsiders but it's awful. There are slaves, a brothel in the basement, and forced breeding. And that's just the shit that was happening before the apocalypse. They're also doing forced mutations. They're trying to make some sort of super zombie that does what they say. That's why I ran.” 

“I think I just lost my appetite.” Ellis muttered. Nick nodded in agreement and squeezed his friend's shoulder.

“We need to get the hell out of here. And bring you with us.” Rochelle said softly. 

“I'm not worth it. Just get whatever supplies you need and leave. Promise me.” He pleaded with them.

“No way. We ain't leavin’ yew behind. Yew’re one of us. We're gettin’ yew outta here.”

“Ok. Get some food guys and I'll take you to your bunks. We'll talk more later. In private.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

After filling their bellies with food, they followed Miguel to the bunks. He had a key card with him and most areas of the prison needed to be accessed with a key card. The only rooms that didn't was the cafeteria, the gym, the infirmary, and three of the exits.

“Why is everything so locked down?” Nick asked he limped alongside Ellis, who had an arm around his waist.

“Mom is very secretive. Only her high ranking officers are allowed to access restricted areas. I don't even know what's in some of these rooms. I know some of her…”pets” are locked up in the offices upstairs”

“What do yew mean by “pets”?” Ellis asked.

“Let's just say they aren't dogs.” 

He led them into cell block C and motioned then to follow him upstairs. Their shared room was a community cell that had a huge steel door and a small window. There were three bunks and a small bathroom hidden away behind a plastic curtain.

“Here you go. It's more private than the other cells.”

“Miguel, we need to figure out what we're going to do.” He sighed.

“I escaped once already. Security is gonna be tighter now. She won't let me get out again.”

“What is wrong with this chick?” Nick asked.

“She's crazy.” Ellis muttered.

“Crazy is an understatement.” Miguel said, sitting down on one of the beds.

“Has she always been like this?” Rochelle asked.

“How am I supposed to know? I've only known her for a month.” They all traded confused looks with each other.

“A month? I thought she was yer mom?” Ellis questioned. 

“I've been in foster homes and group homes my entire life. After the group home I was in was overrun, I went on the run. And I was dying of dehydration when she saved me. I thought she was an angel at first.” He said with a dry chuckle. “Boy was I wrong.”

“Where were you when the infection hit?” Nick asked. 

“New Jersey.” 

“I thought you were from Texas.” 

“I am. I was born here and lived with a foster family from 3 to 13. Then my foster mom died. And then my foster dad killed himself. So I put in a group home for...special kids.”

“Delinquents? I was placed in a few of those.” Nick said.

“No. For LGBT teens.” 

“Oh.” Nick said softly. 

“Yeah. I made my way from Jersey to Tennessee when she found me. I don't know what she was doing there but she saved me. And then she started calling me Eddie. I'm pretty sure she lost a son or something and she thinks I'm him.”

“Oh great. A paranoid delusional. Just what we needed.” Nick said dryly.

There was a knock on the door and a young woman poked her head in the room. They all fell silent as she entered the room with a pile of blankets in her arms. 

“Mister Eddie, would you like me to show your friends the closet?” He nodded.

“Yes April. And then get them some toiletries and show them to the showers.” She bowed and stood by the door as Rochelle stood. 

“I'll bring Nick in a minute. We need to talk.” Miguel nodded and left the room with April and Rochelle. Nick looked confused.

“We need to talk? About what?”

“Yer dream.” Nick closed his eyes and shook his head.

“We've got more important shit to think about, Fireball.”

“We've got time.” He said seriously. Nick sighed deeply and growled a little bit.

“What do you want to know?”

“I wanna know why yew hated me when yew woke up. Did I do something to yew in yer dream?”

“You didn't do anything bad, kid. And I didn't hate you.”

“Could yew hear me?” Nick looked at him confused.

“What do you mean?” Ellis looked down a bit.

“I talked to yew. Told yew about my mom and Keith. I thought maybe talking would wake yew up.” Nick smiled.

“Yeah I think I heard you.” Ellis looked up and smiled.

“Really?”

“Yeah I did.”


	9. Chapter 9

Miguel and April led the three of them out of the cell block to a large room filled to the brim with clothes. They had to weave around clothes racks and totes filled with clothing for all types of people. 

“Women's clothes are over there and men's are in that side.” Miguel said gesturing to the different parts of the room.

“Are there any boots here? Flat ones? I'm kind of sick of running around in high heeled boots.” April nodded and hurried over to a set of huge bookshelves filled with shoes.

“These, ma’am?” She said holding out a pair of black combat boots. She grinned and took the shoes from her.

“These are perfect. Thank you, April.” April nodded and bowed.

“Oh damn. I ain't never seen this many clothes outside a store. This is crazy.” Ellis said fingering the material of a pink shirt.

“You've lived a boring life then.” Nick said grabbing a blue dress shirt. It was darker than his old one but he liked it anyways.

“Try to pick out three outfits. I'll go with April to get you some toiletries.” Miguel said, opening the door and leaving, April close on his heels.

“Yew think they'll let me wash my shirt? I don't wanna throw it out. It's my favorite shirt.” Ellis said, worriedly tugging at his collar.

“I'm sure they'll let you keep it.” Nick said, patting Ellis’ free hand.

“Well I'm looking forward to getting out of this damn Depeche Mode shirt.” Rochelle said pulling it over her head. Nick chuckled and threw the blue shirt over his shoulder.

“Oh Nick look at this!” Ellis said pulling a black shirt off of one of the racks.

“Oh no.”

“Oh hell yeah!” Ellis said giddily. 

It was a black Midnight Riders shirt with their tour dates printed on the back. It still had a price tag on it and Ellis yanked it off and threw it over his shoulder. 

“They got more! I know what I'm taking.” He took two more shirts off and threw them on top of the other one.

“Oh God no.” Nick said pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I can grab yew one too, Nick.” 

“Please don't.” Ellis grinned. 

“What do you boys think of this?” Rochelle asked, holding a purple shirt up against her. Ellis nodded approvingly. 

“Nice color.” She nodded and put it aside.

“Do you think they have a suit here?” Nick asked. Ellis shook his head and sat on a stool. He pulled his boots off and threw them aside.

“Nick, find some practical clothes. A suit isn't very good apocalypse clothing.”

“Whatever you say.” He said laying the blue shirt aside.

“What about this?” Ellis asked holding up a dark red t-shirt. Nick shrugged. 

“That's fine I guess.”

The door opened and Miguel reentered. He had a few large storage bags in his hand filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, and deodorant. He threw one to each of them. 

“Where's April?”

“Preparing the showers. You guys ready yet?” Rochelle nodded and grabbed the clothes she'd picked out and her new shoes. Ellis handed Miguel his and Nick’s things and turned to help the older man up from the short stool he was sitting on. 

“Let's go.” Miguel said, leading them out of the room.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh my God! I'm in heaven right now!” Rochelle said as the hot water ran down her body. She undid her ponytail and let her locs fall around her shoulders.

“I didn't think I'd ever take a hot shower again.” Nick piped up. 

“The water is nasty as hell.” Ellis said as he shampooed his hair.

“Yeah I didn't realize how much blood and dirt I had on me. Especially in my hair.” Rochelle said in a disgusted voice.

“Same here.” 

“I don't even care if you two can see me naked. I am too happy right now.” 

“There's not much to look at.” Nick joked. She snorted and threw her empty bottle of bodywash at him.

“Haha. Very funny.” He laughed.

“I know. I'm hilarious.”   
\-------------------------------------------------------------

After their shower, Miguel brought them back to the cafeteria for dinner. There were more people during the dinner rush then there were at lunch. They could barely squeeze through to Miguel and his “mom's” table. When they finally reached the table, she was giving her dinner order to one of her many servants.

“Eddie.” He kissed her hand and sat next to her. Rochelle, Nick, Ellis sat across from her and she smiled.

“You all look much better.” 

“We feel better. Thank you.” Ellis absentmindedly patted his curls and nodded.

“So, since you plan on staying, we need to figure out how you can contribute to our little community. Any skills?” She asked. 

“Well I was a mechanic. I can fix about anythin’ you throw at me.” Ellis said.

“I'm good with cooking and computers. And management.” Rochelle added.

“I can get brain matter out of satin. And strip and reassemble a pistol in 17 seconds. And I can sew.” Nick said. Rochelle and Ellis gave him a quizzical look and he shrugged.

“Well Rochelle can work with our two men in the computer office. Ellis, you can work in the garage. We've got cars breaking every day.” She looked at Nick and frowned. “I suppose you can be on laundry duty.”

“Sounds great.” He said with a blank face.

“Wonderful. Wiley will help you get settled into your new jobs on Saturday. For now, rest, rejuvenate, fatten yourselves up.” 

“If you don't mind me asking, ma’am but what should we call yew?” Ellis asked. She waved him off.

“It's no bother asking. We never learn if we never ask. You can call me Mother. Or Madam. That's what my people call me.” Ellis’ mouth was open a bit but he nodded anyways.

“Well let's eat shall we? We're having mutton tonight. We have vegetarian options as well though.” Miguel stood and smiled at Madam.

“I'm gonna get some food and help them with theirs. Is that alright?” She nodded.

“Of course angel. Don't overeat though. You've got work to do tonight.” He grimaced and nodded. 

The three of them followed him to the food line. He handed them each a tray and silverware and a glass. 

“I suggest the vegetarian options. It's most likely not mutton.” They looked down at the multiple roasts on the bar and frowned. 

“What is it?”

“Probably dog. Or horse.” Ellis’ face paled.

“I think I'm gonna be sick.” 

They piled their trays with any food that wasn't meat and made their way back to the table. Miguel and Rochelle each held two trays as Ellis helped Nick limp back across the room. They sat down at the table and Nick winced in pain.

“Yew alright?” Ellis asked softly.

“Yeah I'm fine, El.” Ellis nodded and slid Nick his tray.

“So how'd you all meet?” Madam asked.

“We met in Savannah, Georgia on the rooftop of a burning hotel.” Rochelle said.

“Well we met before that technically. That's where we became a team though.” Nick said. Ellis smiled at him and took a sip of his water.

“Has it always been you three?” She asked.

“No. There was another man with us. He died in the helicopter crash. His name was Coach and he was damn good man.” Ellis said, tearing up a bit. The other two stopped eating and Rochelle sniffled.

“Well I'm sorry about your friend.” Madam said.

“It's alright. There ain't no way he didn't make it into the pearly gates. He was great.” 

“Well he sure sounds like it.” She took a bite of her food and wiped her mouth. “So are you all settled into your bunks? I hear Eddie gave you one of the good ones?” Rochelle nodded.

“It's a very nice room. Thank you so much.” 

“It's my pleasure. You need good sleep in a good room. Can't have you falling asleep on the job, can I?”

“No I guess not.” Nick said.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

After finishing her dinner, Madam left the room with her servants in tow. Miguel and Rochelle were still eating and Ellis was sitting next to Nick, talking softly.

“Well I've got to go soon. I've got work.” Miguel said taking a bite of his apple.

“What do you do?” Nick asked.

“You don't want to know.” He said gravely. 

“You're not part of the breeding program are you?” Rochelle questioned. He shook his head furiously. 

“No. Worse.” He fell silent and Rochelle and Nick traded a look. 

“Let's just get you to your bunk. And we'll talk tomorrow. I have to get to work.” He stood and a young man rushed forward to take his tray away.

“Adam will show you to your bunk when you're ready. I have to go.” Miguel left the room and the three of them sighed in unison.

“We need to figure out how get him out of here.” Rochelle said quietly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on roll this week. Four chapters in three days! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the last three.

On Saturday, Ellis and Rochelle were led to their new respective jobs. Nick was told to stay in his bunk and heal. When April had brought him a tray with breakfast food on it and a laptop, he was confused.

“What's this?” 

“Madam said that she didn't want you growing bored so she decided to give you one of the many laptops we have here. We have Internet so you should be able to browse online and I can bring you some of our movie collection if you want, sir.” He nodded.

“Thank you, April.” She bowed slightly and stood off to the side by the door, staring straight ahead. He raised an eyebrow and stared at her for a few seconds.

“You can leave, April.” She bowed again and left the room.

He pushed the food away and opened the laptop. He checked his Facebook to see when the last time somebody posted. His cousin had posted a photo of a dog two weeks before. Other than that, nothing. He sighed and checked CNN, Fox, and Yahoo to see if any major news outlets had been reporting. All three Web pages had been deactivated. 

“God damn it.” He said under his breath.

He closed the laptop and pushed it aside. His food was staring up at him and he grimaced. The eggs had a sheen to them that made them look like they were covered in oil, the toast was black, and the “ _bacon_ ”, if that's what it could be called, looked gray. 

“I don't think so.” He grabbed the bars of the top bunk and pulled himself to his feet. 

He limped over to the door and pulled it open. He poked his head out and looked around. There was a single guard below with a rifle in her arms who was leaning against a wall. 

He closed the door and limped back to his bed. The second he sat down, Miguel entered the room. Nick looked up at him in surprise but Miguel just motioned for him to be quiet.

“We need to figure out how we're getting out of here.” He said.

“What's going on? What happened?” Miguel was slightly out of breath and he crossed the room to sit next to Nick.

“Her experiments are getting worse. She had a successful one last night and this one listens to commands but only her commands. He killed one of the slaves and bit her head off.” Nick’s jaw dropped and Miguel nodded.

“It _bit_ her head off?!” He said in horror.

“It's fucking huge! And she wants to try and replicate him and make more. She's trying to build a damn army.” 

“Oh fuck!”

“What're we gonna do, Nick?” Nick patted his shoulder.

“We'll figure something out. Trust me, kid.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis returned to the bunks at dusk to see Nick laying on his bed watching something on the laptop. He furrowed his brow and Nick closed the laptop. 

“How was work?” Ellis sat down on the edge of Nick’s bed and rubbed his temples.

“They got no clue how to fix a car! Nobody ‘ere has any clue how to work on cars. None of them! They've got like 200 people here and most of their cars are duct taped back together because they only know how to change oil and tires. I'm exhausted.” Nick sat up and snorted.

“I watched The Sopranos and ate bacon.” Ellis shot him a dirty look.

“Shut up, jerk.”

“I did try to walk a few hours ago. It did not work at all.” Ellis wiped his palms off on his jeans.

“Yew can't go walking without someone here to help. What if yew tripped and cracked yer skull open?” Nick snorted.

“Then you'd better find me a good burial spot, kid.” Ellis’ look grew sour.

“That ain't even funny, Nick. We already lost Coach. We can't handle losing yew too.” Nick’s grin faded quickly.

“Sorry.” Ellis stood and held out a hand. Nick raised an eyebrow.

“What?” 

“Come on. I'm gonna help yew walk.”

“I can walk. I'm just not good at it.” Ellis grabbed his hands and pulled him into a standing position. He was several inches taller than Ellis and he looked down at him with an annoyed look.

“You're really gonna make me walk on this thing?” He said gesturing to his leg. Ellis grinned and nodded.

“Yew bet yer ass I am.”

“Fuck you.” Ellis just smiled wider and tugged Nick's hands a bit. Nick took a small step forward and winced.

“How bad does it hurt?”

“Well it would feel better if I had some pain relievers but I have to settle for...well nothing.”

“Does it feel any better from when the doc fixed it?” Nick nodded.

“Definitely. But it still hurts.”

He took a few more steps forward, Ellis not taking his eyes off Nick’s feet. Nick was suddenly hyper aware of his hands in Ellis’ and pulled his hands away. 

“What's wrong?” Nick shook his head.

“Nothing.”

“Yew sure?”

“I said I'm fine!” He snapped.

“Nick.” Ellis said softly. Nick backed away and sat back down on the bed.

“Don't talk down to me.” 

“I'm not. I just wanna know why yew’re so mean?”

“I've always been mean.” 

“Not anymore yew ain't. Yew haven't been since the bridge.” Nick sighed in defeat.

“I know. I'm still messed up from the damn dream and my two day nap.” He said dryly.

“I get it, man. But why have yew been so weird? To me mostly.” Ellis asked.

Nick looked at him for a few seconds before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Ellis’. The younger man froze and pulled away from Nick. He stared at him for a while before Nick lowered his head and sighed deeply.

“Fuck. Sorry.” 

“Nah, it's fine.” Ellis reassured.

“No it's not.” 

“Nick, I'm serious. It's fine.” Nick looked up at him and inhaled shakily.

“That dream ruined me, kid.” Ellis took his hand and frowned.

“In yer dream, were we...yew know?” Nick nodded and Ellis bit the inside of his cheek and nodded.

“That's why yew’ve been so weird around me. Because of…” He trailed off. 

“You don't know what it's like to fall in love with someone and then find out it was a dream and they don't actually care about you. It's the worst fucking feeling in the world. I wanted to die when I woke up. I really did.” 

“I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault.”

They sat in awkward silence for several minutes. Ellis was still holding Nick’s hand but the older man didn't seem bothered by it anymore. He was too busy staring at the floor.

“Nick?” He looked up him and raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

Ellis leaned forward and touched his forehead to the other man's and gently pressed his lips against Nick’s. Nick seemed surprised but reciprocated quickly. 

Their lips moved together slowly and Nick wrapped a hand around the back of Ellis’ neck and his fingers tangled in his curls. Ellis moaned softly and kissed Nick more fiercely. 

“This is a bad idea.” Nick said pulling away a bit.

“Why?” Ellis asked, his mouth moving to Nick’s neck.

“Well somebody could walk in any second.” Ellis just trailed kisses down his neck moving closer to his collarbone.

“God you're good at that.” Nick said panting a bit. Ellis pulled away and flashed him a toothy grin.

“I know.” He brought his mouth back to Nick’s and moved closer to him. 

“Wait, kid.” Nick said pushing him away gently. Ellis looked disappointed and frowned a bit.

“What's wrong?” Nick shook his head.

“Nothing is wrong. But this doesn't feel right.” 

“What’d yew mean?”

“I mean this is just lust for you. It's not for me. And I can't handle that.” Ellis touched his forehead to Nick’s and gave him a soft kiss.

“It ain't just lust for me, Nick.” He said seriously.

“What?” 

“‘Member that witch at the sugar mill?” Nick nodded. “She damn near killed me. We couldn't see no more than two feet in front of us. And yew came back and killed her and got me back to the safehouse. Yew bitched the whole time but yew still saved me and gave me yer last med pack. And yew barely left my side after that.”

“So?” Nick asked, not understanding where he was going with his statement. 

“I'm pretty sure the dream ain't when you started caring for me. It was before the sugar mill.” Nick clenched his jaw. 

“Why else would yew dream about us bein’ together?”

“You're right. But I still don't know where you're going with this.”

“I've been caring for yew since the sugar mill, Nick.” 

“Oh.” Ellis nodded and intertwined their fingers. 

“So can we go back to the kissin’?” He asked with a coy smile. 

Nick grinned and leaned in to kiss him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCKING FINALLY! I had no clue how I was gonna write the last scene but I did it! And I actually like it! So I'm gonna post it now before I reread it a million times and grow to hate it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one. Sorry. Next one will be longer.

Rochelle woke very early the next morning to hear soft knocking on the door. She sat up to see if Ellis had heard it as well but he was stretched out across his bed snoring. She rolled her eyes and padded over to the door. Miguel was standing outside the room with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

“Miguel? What's going on? It's barely two.” He nodded and stepped into the room.

“ _I need to show you something._ ”

“ _What's with the language change?_ ” 

“ _Por favor, Rochelle._ ” He pleaded. She nodded.

“ _Let me grab my shoes._ ”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miguel led her through the prison, his flashlight held low. She held onto the back of his shirt so she didn't fall behind. 

“Where are we going?” She asked, softly. 

“The basement.”

They reached an elevator at the end of one of the hallways and he pressed the down button. She let go of the back of his shirt and crossed her arms as they watched the numbers descend. He rubbed his hands anxiously and Rochelle reached a hand out to run her fingers through his long hair.

“Calm down, sweetheart.” She said. He relaxed a bit.

“Thanks. I'm always nervous going to the basement.” She continued stroking his hair.

“I'm nervous too, honey. But we'll be fine.” 

The elevator doors opened and he stepped in. He pressed the basement button and scanned his key card.

“Welcome back, Eddie.” A voice said. Rochelle cocked an eyebrow.

“Unauthorized guest. Please show ID or exit the elevator.” 

“Override, food.” He said. The elevator dinged and they started going down.

“Food?” She asked, her brow raised.

“Madam feeds it people.” He said quietly. 

“What?!” He nodded and pulled his rifle off his back. He turned the safety off and held it tightly in his arms.

The doors opened and Rochelle immediately got chills down her spine. There was a single light on in the dark hallway and she could see the glow of fluorescent lights in a room off to the left. He started forward and she walked next to him, their footsteps falling in sync with each other.

He reached the door that the light was coming from and pulled it open. She could see a huge glass wall that seemed to be covered in blood. She grimaced and he walked over to a light switch. 

_**ROOOAAARRR** _

Rochelle jumped backwards when she saw a huge, hulking monster slam its fists on the ground. The glass wall separated it from them but Ro could still see the glass shake. 

“What the fuck is that thing?! It's bigger than a tank!” Miguel stepped forward and put his hand on the glass. The creature stared at him for a moment before turning and going back to its corner.

“That's Goliath. One of Madam’s “pets”. He's her greatest creation.” Rochelle stepped back more.

“Why are you showing me this… _thing_?” She asked, her voice shaking a bit. 

“Because he's what we're going to use to kill Madam.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

When Rochelle finally returned to the room, it was after four and she was dead tired. But she'd never felt more awake in her life. The thought of that creature lurking a few stories below them made her stomach twist. She sat on the edge of her bed and kicked her boots off. 

“Ro?” She looked up to see Ellis squinting at her, his eyes adjusting to the dark.

“Go back to sleep, sweetie.”

“Where have yew been?”

“Bathroom.”

“For two hours?” He asked, sleep lacing his voice.

“Don't worry about it. Just go back to sleep.” He nodded and pulled his blanket back over his shoulders. 

She laid down on her own bed and pulled her blanket over her. The image of Goliath was still burned into her retinas and she shuddered. 

“ _Don't think about it, Rochelle. Just go to sleep. You've got work to do in the morning and plans to overthrow a corrupt leader. Just a normal Sunday._ ” She thought. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

She dreamed about Goliath.


	12. Chapter 12

Ellis woke to the sound of Rochelle shuffling over to the bedroom door. He watched Miguel sneak in quietly and the two of them spoke softly in Spanish. He frowned as she slipped her boots on and followed Miguel out of the room. 

“Nick!” He whispered loudly. He heard the older man groan.

“What?” He asked, clearly still partially asleep.

“Ro just left.”

“Probably gonna bathroom.” He mumbled. Ellis jumped off his bunk and sat on the edge of Nick’s bed. He shook his leg and Nick groaned loudly.

“Jesus fucking Christ, kid! Let me sleep!” 

“She went with Miguel.” Nick turned to look over his shoulder at Ellis.

“What? What's the time?” He asked, sitting up. Ellis glanced over at the wall clock.

“It's a little after 2.” Nick sat up and rubbed his eyes.

“Miguel came and got her? Did they say where they were going?” Ellis shrugged.

“I don't know. I don't speak Spanish.” 

“They were speaking Spanish? That's not good. That means they're hiding something.” Ellis pulled his legs up onto the bed and crossed them. 

“What're they hidin’ then?” Nick sighed and rested his chin on his hand.

“I've got absolutely no clue.” Ellis chewed on his lip.

“That ain't reassuring.” Nick nodded in agreement. 

“Well we'll talk to them tomorrow. Figure out what they're hiding.” Nick laid back down and pulled his blanket up to his waist.

“Goodnight, I guess.” Ellis mumbled before climbing up onto his own bed.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis woke a few hours later to the sun streaming through the small window, hitting his face. He squinted at the light and sat up. Rochelle was sitting up, tying her boot laces. 

“Mornin’.” He greeted. She looked up at him and smiled.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

“Where'd you go with Miguel?” She sighed and stood up. 

“He wanted to show me something. He said he'll show you two later but not now. It's too dangerous.” Ellis’ eyes widened.

“Dangerous? What the hell?” She chewed on her lip.

“Do you remember the “ _pet_ ” he mentioned Madam having?” He nodded. “Well I saw it. And holy shit, Ellis, it's huge. It's twice the size of a tank.” 

“What is?” Nick asked, sitting up slowly. 

“Madam’s “ _pet_ ”. Miguel showed Ro it.” 

“It's bigger than a tank? That's not good.” Ellis jumped off his bed and sat down on the edge of Nick’s.

“This woman ain't gonna be easy to escape.” Ellis said.

“Were not escaping anymore.” Rochelle stated firmly. Ellis and Nick gave her a confused look.

“We're not? Then what are we doing?” Nick questioned.

“We're going to kill the bitch.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Nick and Ellis stood in front of the huge glass wall staring at Goliath. He stared back at them for a long moment before growling. Ellis took a step back and gulped. 

“That ain't right.” Nick nodded and backed away.

“I agree.” 

Miguel stepped forward and put his hand up. Goliath stared at him for a while before lifting his own hand. He waved his hand and Goliath mimicked him. Rochelle gasped and covered her mouth.

“How are you doing that?” 

“I thought he only listened to Madam but I think he likes me more than her. He's just scared of her.” Goliath whimpered a bit and backed away.

“He acts like a dog that's been kicked.” Nick said, noticing his behavior.

“She scares him. That's why he listens. I take care of him. I feed him and talk to him. He likes me.”

“You feed him people though.”

“No I don't. Madam does. I feed him beef, chicken, whatever leftover meat there is in the kitchen. He likes it better anyways.” Goliath nodded slowly and Miguel smiled.

“This is messin’ with me. A tame zombie? This is crazy!” 

“It's amazing.” Nick said softly. Ellis gave him a surprised look.

“What?”

“A tame zombie is amazing. He'll listen to people and protect them from other zombies.”

“And he'll kill Madam.” 

“Are yew sure he will?” Ellis asked, his voice going up an octave.

“Yes. I'm sure of it.”

They all stood around silent for a second before Nick cleared his throat.

“So...how're we doing this?”


	13. Chapter 13

The next afternoon the four of them were sitting at lunch together, talking softly. Madam hadn't been seen at all that day so they took that as an opportunity to plan. The cafeteria was practically empty except for a few slaves standing around, waiting for an order.

“We need to find some way to get Madam, Wiley, and Miles in the same room. Those are the three we absolutely need to kill. Nobody else is a major threat.” Miguel explained.

“But that means they could be a minor threat.” Nick piped up. 

“That can be a problem for later.” Rochelle added.

“How the hell are we gonna do this?” Miguel chewed on his lip and crossed his arms.

“I'm not sure.” 

“And how are we going to plan this shit out without word getting to her?” Nick asked.

“Too late.” They turned to see Madam standing behind them with a smile on her face. Three of her goons were standing behind her, leering. 

Nick swallowed hard and he felt Ellis grip his hand. Rochelle stood up to her and stared her down.

“So you know?”

“Of course I know. I have eyes everywhere. And cameras. I know you've met my pet. Beautiful isn't he?” Miguel stood up and opened his mouth but Madam snapped her fingers and one of the men behind her pulled out a taser and shot it at Miguel.

He collapsed to the ground and Rochelle screamed. He writhed on the floor for several seconds before falling still.

“Wiley, Logan take them to their room. And make sure they don't leave.” Wiley nodded and stepped forward to grab Nick’s arm. Logan grabbed Rochelle and Ellis and they dragged the three of them out of the room.

The last thing Rochelle saw before the doors closed was Madam kneeling next to Miguel.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

“Eddie. Why?” Miguel opened his eyes slowly and squinted at the light. Madam was kneeling next to Miguel with a disappointed look on her face.

“What?” He croaked.

“Why did you try to kill me? And why did you brainwash those poor people? You'll need to be punished.” She stood up and Miles appeared and lifted Miguel up. He groaned in pain and rubbed his head.

“What are you gonna do to me?” She thought carefully for a second before turning to face him. 

“You'll choose. 1000 days slavery or…” She paused and a smile played at her lips. “100 lashes and a week in solitary.” 

“What?” She slapped him across the face and he winced.

“Choose!” He thought for a long moment.

Slavery was horrible. He knew what she did to her slaves. But 100 lashes could kill him. And if he survived the lashing, there was no telling if she would let his wound be treated while he was locked up. The infection could be what gets him. Slavery would be two and half years of beatings, broken bones, and rape. On top of horrible living conditions and grueling work. He clenched his jaw and met her gaze.

“100 lashes and solitary.” She smiled.

“OK then. Miles?” He stepped forward.

“Yes ma’am?” She looked at Miguel and gave him a malicious smile.

“Bring Eddie to his room. And prepare his friends for their punishment.” Miguel’s eyes widened in horror.

“What?! NO!!!” Miles grabbed him and he thrashed in his grip, trying to break away but it was hopeless. 

“Goodnight, love.” Madam said as she watched him be dragged away.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Rochelle paced in their room and chewed on her nails. Ellis had tried to calm her down several times but she'd just pushed him and continued pacing. So he resigned to sitting next to Nick while she paced.

Nick ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Ellis was leaning against his right side, his hand wrapped around Nick’s own. Rochelle sighed heavily and sat down on her bed.

“Do you think he'll be ok?” Nick nodded.

“Mick is a tough kid. He can handle himself.” Rochelle nodded and twisted her hands.

“I hope so.” She looked at the two of them and cocked her head. “And what's going on with you two?” Nick shrugged.

“I don't know.” Ellis rolled his eyes.

“Me neither.” She sighed and stood again.

There was clunk as the door was unlocked from the outside and they all turned to see Wiley and Miles enter the room. Ellis and Nick huddled close and Rochelle stood still, staring them down. Wiley grinned and his crooked, brown teeth showed.

“Get up you two. Time to go.” 

“Go where?” Nick asked, sharply. Miles sneered at him. 

“You're prisoners. That ain't none of your business!” 

“Let's go!” Nick and Ellis stood and Miles stepped forward with two pairs of handcuffs. He slapped them on their wrists while Wiley handcuffed Rochelle.

“What the hell is going on?!” Rochelle demanded.

“Punishment. 100 lashes and a week in the hole.” Ellis’ eyes widened and he looked at Nick, clearly horrified.

“Time to go!” Wiley said, pulling Rochelle to the entranceway. Miles pulled the other two out of the room after him.


	14. Chapter 14

When Miguel was thrown face first into his room, he blocked his face from smacking into his bed. The door slammed shut and he heard the door lock and he sat up slowly. He was sore and his hip hurt from falling to the ground after being tased. 

He limped over to the door and jiggled the handle. When it didn't budge he punched the door and fell to the floor. 

“Fuck!” He shouted. He buried his face in his hands and groaned loudly. 

The light outside the room turned off and he heard whoever was guarding the room walk off. He sat there in silence for several minutes, not sure what to do. He wasn't strong enough to break down the door. The vent was too small and so was the window. Even if the window wasn't too small, he was still 60 feet up and he'd die if he jumped out without a rope.

“What the fuck am I gonna do?” He asked out loud.

The light outside the door turned back on suddenly and he looked up. He heard a grunt outside the room and the sound of someone falling to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and backed up to the wall. He picked up one of his shoes and frowned at his weapon but braced it in his hands anyways. 

He heard a key jiggle in the lock and the door open. He brought the shoe down but the person ducked and flicked the light on. Miguel lowered the shoe and frowned.

“April?”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Wiley and Miles led the three of them through the huge prison. Ellis eventually realized where they were going and moved a little close to Nick.

“They're taking us to the chapel.” He whispered. Nick frowned. 

“The chapel? What the fuck? Is she planning on crucifying us or something?” Ellis shrugged.

“How the fuck am I ‘sposed to know?” He whispered back.

“Shut up!” Miles snapped.

They all walked in silence until they reached the chapel doors. There were two guards outside the chapel who opened the doors so they could lead the three survivors inside. Madam was sitting in a chair on the altar, a long leather whip in her hands. It was covered in small spikes and she undid the snaps keeping it tied up. She smiled and shook the whip out straight. 

“I'm so glad you didn't put up a fight. It would have made things unnecessarily difficult. And well,” She chuckled darkly. “That wouldn't be good.” 

“Fuck you.” Nick spit out. She gave him a steely look and snapped her fingers. Wiley came up behind him and pushed him to the ground. He winced in pain and Wiley ripped his shirt off and threw it aside.

“Thank you for bravely volunteering to go first.” She said, running her hand down the whip.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

“What are you doing?!” Miguel asked. April looked at the shoe in his hands and he dropped it. 

“I'm rescuing you. What does it look like?” She'd changed out of her usual rags into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Her long hair had been chopped off, leaving her with almost a buzz cut. 

“Why?” She gave him a confused look.

“You think I'm going to leave you here while your friends get executed?” 

“Executed?!” April nodded and walked out of the room. He followed her out and was surprised to see both guards knocked out and tied up. 

“She said so earlier. I heard her. So we're gonna rescue them.” She picked up a gun off the floor and he picked up the other one.

“Wait, how are we going to do that?” She frowned.

“I….don't know.” He smiled a bit.

“I have an idea. You probably won't like it though.” She raised an eyebrow.

“What are you thinking?”


	15. Chapter 15

Nick braced himself as Madam circled him, the long whip in her hands. She eventually stopped behind him and let the whip trail across his legs. He shivered a bit and she chuckled.

“Keep the other two back.” She brought the whip over her shoulder and grinned maliciously before sending one clear smack across his back. He screamed in pain but she just reared the whip and hit him again.

“Nick!” Ellis cried out. Wiley pushed him back and Rochelle grabbed his arm as best as she could.

Nick cried out again as she hit him for the third time. Ellis and Rochelle held each other ad she brought the whip down across his back again and again. Ellis eventually lost count and winced every time he heard the smack of leather on skin. After she'd hit him several more times, Ellis could smell blood in the air.

“27.” She counted. Nick was no longer crying out. He just whined and whimpered every time he was hit. 

“28.” She brought it down again and he fell forward to the ground. His back was shredded and Ellis looked on in horror. Rochelle squeezed his hand and bit her lip. 

Wiley and Miles pulled Nick back up into a kneeling position but he could barely stay up. His head hung low and sweat dropped off his face. He looked up weakly at the two of them and his eyes fluttered shut.

“29.” She brought it down again and he fell forward again.

As Miles and Wiley lifted him up again, the ground began shaking. Madam froze and looked up at the shaking lights. Miles and Wiley looked confused and looked at her 

“Is that an earthquake?” Miles asked.

“I don't think so.” She said softly. She turned to face the chapel doors and lowered the whip. 

The doors opened up and Miguel entered, his rifle slung over his shoulder. April stood next to him, shotgun braced in her arms. Goliath stood behind them, growling lowly and glaring at Madam. Miles and Wiley looked at him in horror and backed away.

“Eddie! What do you think you're doing?” She demanded. He smiled and held up a hand. Goliath put his huge hand in Miguel’s and walked forward a bit.

“My name….is Miguel!” She dropped the whip and backed away slowly.

“Goliath! Grab Eddie!” Goliath just stared at her for several seconds before stepping towards her. She backed away and when he reached to grab her, she dodged him and he ended grabbing Miles.

Miles screamed and Goliath just squeezed him and Miguel winced as he popped like a grape. Wiley tried to run past him but Goliath caught him and slammed him into the ground. He screamed as the gigantic monster slammed him into the ground over and over again until his screams died and he was just a pile of flesh on the ground.

April walked around the giant beast to free Ellis and Rochelle. She pulled out a metal hair clip and fiddled with the lock on the cuffs. She freed Rochelle first and the woman ran over to Nick who was passed out on the floor. Goliath moved towards her but Miguel whistled sharply and the monster looked over at the teenager.

“No. They're friends. She's not.” He pointed at Madam who was pressed up against the wall.

“I'm your mother!” She cried out. 

“NO YOU'RE NOT!” He screamed.

April undid Ellis’ cuffs and he ran over to Nick and fell to his knees next to him. He helped Rochelle get him into a sitting position. The older man let his head hang and whimpered when Rochelle accidentally brushed her hand across his lower back. 

“Oh God Nick.” Ellis said softly. Nick looked up and smiled weakly.

“I'm not very lucky this year, am I?” Ellis kissed his forehead and Nick fell forward into his arms.

“Look! Your friends are alive! They're fine! Just let me go, Miguel!” Madam was begging him and he cocked his head.

“What'd you call me?” 

“I called you...Miguel.” 

“So I'm Miguel when it benefits you, huh?” 

“Please.” She fell to her knees and tears sprung to her eyes.

“If he's your loyal pet, call him off yourself.” Goliath moved forward and she smiled weakly.

“Hey gorgeous. Why don't you leave mama alone?” Goliath growled and moved closer to her.

“Turns out he listens to positive reinforcement more than beatings and electrocution.” 

Miguel walked over to his friends who were trying to lift Nick up. He leaned down and put his arm under Nick’s armpit. Ellis and him lifted the injured man and headed to the door that Rochelle and April had propped open.

“Where are you going?!” Madam shrieked out.

“Somewhere that isn't here.” Miguel responded.

“You're gonna leave me here to die?! After all I've done for you?!” He smiled and looked back at her.

“Yeah...I am.”

They left the room and April moved to close the door. Madam called out to her and the young woman looked over at her.

“April! Help me!” April smiled brightly and pulled the door shut. 

As she followed the four of them, she could faintly hear the sound of Goliath tearing Madam apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And now, the end is near! And so I face the final curtain! My friend, I'll say it clear. And state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived a life that's full. I've traveled each and every highway! And more, much more than this, I did it my way!"
> 
> Only a few more chapters now! D:
> 
> I'm getting emotional!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh. Only four more chapters to go 

_**Two Days Later**_  
~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick woke up on his stomach with his legs and arms pinned down. He lifted his head and looked around the room confused. Ellis was sitting next to him, sound asleep in a chair. He was snoring softly and he had his hat over his eyes.

“Ellis?” Nick asked softly. Ellis immediately pulled the hat off and sat forward. 

“Nick? Oh thank God!” He leaned over and undid the clasps around his wrists. Ellis helped him sit up and Nick cried out when his back skin shifted as he twisted.

“What happened? Is Madam…?” He trailed off as Ellis smiled and nodded. 

“Goliath tore her apart. They're still finding pieces of her around the chapel. We can't find her head though. Pretty sure the big guy ate it.” 

“And my back?” Ellis frowned.

“Tore up pretty bad. Yew've been out for a while. Doxie patched you up as best as she could. That's why you were strapped down. She didn't want you rolling over and hurting yerself.” Nick nodded and relaxed a bit. Ellis leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

“I'm glad yew’re alright.” Nick nodded and smiled a bit.

“Me too, Fireball.” Ellis gave him a quick kiss on the lips the second time and Nick smiled and leaned into it. 

“Yew’re eager.” Ellis mumbled under Nick’s lips. Nick chuckled and pulled away.

“I'm in a good mood.” Ellis cupped his cheeks and kissed him again.

“Ummm...pardon me?” Ellis blushed and pulled away from Nick. They both looked at Doxie who was standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.

“Hey.” Nick greeted her. She moved to stand in front of him. 

“How're you feeling? Any better?” 

“I feel like I got my back shredded up by a psychopath.” Doxie nodded.

“Fair enough. But if she hadn't done that, then Miguel wouldn't have freed 200 people from her tyranny.” Nick scoffed and nodded.

“Touché.” She grinned.

“How about I check out that back of yours and then we can get you some lunch?”

“Sound good.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Nick entered the cafeteria, he immediately saw everyone's heads turn in his direction. He froze a bit but Ellis just squeezed his hand and moved towards a table at the front of the room. Miguel was sitting there with April on one side and Rochelle on the other. 

“Hey guys.” Ellis said. They all looked up and Rochelle stood immediately, a huge smile on her face.

“Nick!” He smiled and lowered himself to a seat. Ellis sat next to him and put a hand on Nick’s thigh and leaned on the table.

“How are you, man?” Miguel asked. Nick opened his mouth to speak but Ellis cut in.

“Doxie says his back’s bad but it'll heal in a about six weeks.” Nick closed his mouth and looked at him. 

“My back is hurt. Not my vocal cords.” Ellis frowned and Nick kissed him slightly below his jaw which made him blush furiously.

“Well you look better. A 30 hour nap did you good.” He ran a hand over the scruff on his chin.

“And it was dream free.” He said, sounding relieved.

“Well now that you're up and about, you think you can help us restore this place to some semblance of order?” April asked.

“What'd I miss?”   
\-------------------------------------------------------------

_”She's dead?!”_

_Miguel was standing on a table in the cafeteria. His rifle across his shoulders and his arms crossed. Rochelle, April, and Ellis stood in the ground by the table, weapons in their hands._

_“You heard me. Madam is dead!” He said, his head held high._

_The crowd that filled the room muttered amongst themselves. They were clearly surprised. Most looked relieved but some looked angry._

_”I say good riddance!” One man spoke up. People voiced their agreement with him but one woman climbed up on a table, clearly upset._

_”That woman saved us! Why would you kill her?!”_

_”Do you really consider a murdering, borderline psychotic gang leader your heroine?” April spit out at her._

_The room fell silent before Miguel spoke up again._

_”She did nothing but hurt the people here. How many of you can honestly say you loved that woman?” Nobody said anything and he nodded. “Exactly my point.”_

_”She still rescued us.”_

_”And now we can run this place like before but without the slavery, experiments, and all the other horrible shit that happens here right under your noses. All without a dictator as well.” Rochelle said._

_”I'm glad she's dead! I'm with them!” Someone shouted. Other started to voice their agreement and Miguel smiled._

_”Then let's work together to fix this place! Work together as a community. As friends and family.”_

_”Well who the hell put you in charge?! You're not even her kid!” The woman on the table shouted at him._

_”He doesn't want to be in charge. He's only 17. He doesn't have any clue how to run a society. But we can run this place as a group. We'll take votes, we'll establish a council, it'll be a democracy. Not a dictatorship.” Rochelle spoke up. Miguel put a hand on her shoulder._

_”Well shit...I'll support that.” The woman climbed off the table and Miguel smiled brightly._  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

“So you established a democracy while I was unconscious? Impressive.” Nick said dryly. Miguel rolled his eyes.

“We're working on it. It's a lot more work than I thought. But Rochelle and April have been helping a lot.” April grinned and popped an apple slice in her mouth.

“What have you been doing then?” Nick asked Ellis.

“Uhhh...stuff.”

“He hasn't left your bedside.” Rochelle said. Ellis glared at her but she just chuckled. 

“Really?” 

“I have. I had stuff to do...like….um clean.” The corner of Nick’s mouth turned up and he crossed his arms.

“So how are we gonna do this?” 

“We have no idea.” Rochelle said. Nick chewed on his bottom lip and thought for a few seconds.

“I think I know how.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is smut ahead. Well it's frottage but whatever. Thank you thatwriterlady for writing it because there's no way I would have been able to. I would have passed out two sentences in.

“An election?” Miguel asked. Nick nodded and smiled.

“Yeah. Tell people to run for council. Have a few candidates available for election. And the community can choose the 12 members and the head of the council.”

“That way they'll feel more in control.” Rochelle added. He nodded and Miguel smiled.

“Awesome…how do we plan an election?” Nick shrugged. 

“I'm a criminal. Not a politician.” 

“Aren't they the same thing?” April said, her voice oozing sarcasm. He laughed and she smiled.

“That's fair. But I still know nothing about politics.” He looked at Rochelle who shook her head.

“Don't look at me, mister. I was a producer.” 

“I was class president.” Ellis offered. Nick snorted and patted his leg.

“Elementary school isn't real politics, kid.” 

“It was high school.” He said softly.

“We'll figure something out. I'm sure there are some people here with experience.” April said.

“I ran for mayor once.” Ellis piped up. 

“Seriously?” Nick asked surprised.

“Yeah. After I graduated from high school.”

“ _Young mechanic runs for local office._ ” Rochelle said, sounding slightly surprised. 

“Wait, how'd yew know that?” Ellis asked.

“I heard about it on the news a few years ago. It was a huge thing for Georgia at the time. A Democrat running for Mayoral office in Georgia? You had half the country rooting for you.” He blushed.

“Oh. I didn't know that.” 

“I think I heard about that actually. You lost right?” Ellis rolled his eyes.

“Do I look like the mayor of Savannah to yew?”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

To Ellis’ surprise, he was voted to be the head of the council. Miguel was also voted to be a council member. The other 10 members were some other people in the compound. Nobody any of them were familiar with.

Ellis’ votes were unanimous as he was the only one with some semblance political experience. Something Nick griped about because the idea of someone with little experience in politics was not reassuring. Rochelle had told him that the people would be fine and he felt slightly better but still unsure.

“I'm freaking out Nick.” Ellis confessed to him after he was elected. Nick looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow. The young man was pacing back and forth across the room, wringing his hands.

“Why? You'll be fine.” 

“No I won't! I just got picked to be in charge!”

“You got picked to be in charge of the people in charge. That's different!” Ellis’ stared at him. 

“Are yew tryin’ to make me feel better? ‘Cause yew ain't doing a good job!” Nick rolled his eyes and laid his book aside.

“You need to relax, kid. You'll be fine.” Ellis stopped his pacing.

“Yew think so?” Nick stood and crossed the room to place his hands on his shoulders. 

“I know you'll be fine. You've gotten through worse things than being a tiebreaker for a stupid council.” Ellis frowned.

“Tiebreaker?” Nick laughed and kissed his forehead.

“Sorry, sport. You're nothing but a glorified tiebreaker.” Ellis wrinkled his nose.

“That ain't fun.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

_**Two Weeks Later**_  
_____________

Nick was laying back in his bunk flipping absently through an ancient People magazine, more looking at the pictures of happy celebrity families than actually reading the articles. It was hard to believe the world had changed so much in such a short time. He tried not to think about how the people in there were all probably dead. Well, he wasn’t too upset about the Kardashians…

The door opened and Ellis came walking in, shoulders slumped and a deep frown on his face. It wasn’t often that he looked like that but being in charge of the entire compound was weighing heavily on him. Nick put the magazine down and sat up.

“Hey, kid, why the long face?”

Ellis sighed and leaned back against door.

“Why do people hafta argue everything? That’s all the meeting was, people arguing and me trying to stop it. I bet that’s how teachers felt when we was kids. I got mad and left. Ain’t none of them listening.”

“What were they arguing about?” Nick asked.

“On whether or not we should maximize the gardening area. I suggested somethin’ I saw once in a magazine. It’s some kind of in ground garden where you can get the plants to grow earlier in the spring and almost into the beginning of winter, but yew need the right light. Since fuel is low they said it was a stupid idea. They wasn’t even nice about it, they just said it was stupid but one time, me and Keith, we made this lighting system from some old solar panels we found at a junk yard-”

“Yeah, that’s great, fireball, but it really isn’t a realistic idea, not with fuel running low.” 

Ellis slammed his fist into the door behind him, startling Nick.

“Damn it! It’s a good idea if yew asholes would just fucking listen to me for once!”

Nick stared up at him, his mouth hanging open. He’d seen Ellis pissed before, but not like this.

“If yew can’t even give me the time to explain my idea, then I don’t need to be in here with yew, Nick. I respect yew, even when you’re a jerk, but yew ain’t got none for me! It’s a good idea, dang it!” He punched the door again except this time he felt something pop, and then a horrible pain shot through his hand. Tears stung at his eyes as he clutched it to his chest.

“Ellis, let me take a look at that.” Nick spoke softly, afraid that if he used the wrong tone he’d set the man off again. 

“No, I’m fine.” Ellis glared at him and turned away when he reached out to him.

“Stop acting like a baby and get over here.” He grabbed Ellis by his shoulders and steered him over to the lower bunk. “Sit.”

Ellis sat and glared up at him.

“Kid…” He sighed and grabbed Ellis’ wrist. The hand was definitely going to be bruised later. The first knuckle of the pinky finger was clearly dislocated. It was a damn good thing he hadn’t turned around to face the door and punched it that way or he’d be looking at an entire set of broken knuckles. “This is going to hurt.”

He grabbed it and snapped it back into place, grimacing when Ellis let out an ear piercing scream.

“Don’t be yelling at me, you did it.”

“Cause yew were an asshole!”

Nick sighed deeply, glad that he could even do that now without being wracked with pain. Patience. He loved this idiot. It would be shitty of him not to at least hear the man out.

“I’m sorry. Why don’t you tell me the entire idea and I promise to be quiet until you’re done. So you and Keith did what, exactly?”

Ellis eyed him for a moment. “Yew really gonna listen?”

“Yes I am.” He sat down next to him and reached out to touch the bruised hand. If there was ice he’d totally get some to put on it for him.

“Well, like I was saying, me and Keith went down to this junkyard this one time…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick had promised to listen, and he was glad that he had. It was actually a damn good idea. He was angry with himself for not giving the kid a chance to speak. That seemed to be a common problem around here. Ellis was a lot smarter than people realized. People just needed to give him a chance. Starting with him.

“So you managed to connect the solar panels and they worked? Then what did you do with them?”

Ellis’ bright, happy smile returned as he replied “Keith’s grandpa used the lights to grow weed in his basement. They was some of the biggest, healthiest plants I’ve ever seen! He made over $30,000 before someone snitched to the police. They did a raid and took away all his plants. There was a rumor going on that they done sold his weed and kept the money. Keith’s grandpa was so mad.”

Nick chuckled. “Yeah, I’d be pissed too. I’ll admit, it’s a really good idea, but where do we get all the parts to connect the lights to?”

“They got solar panels and stuff in big ole pit out back. If we don’t put the garden in the ground I bet I could grow plants in a couple of the basement rooms and they’d grow up big and strong. I know I can do it, Nick. They just gotta give me a chance.”

“You’re right, and I’ll back you up. Call a council meeting for the morning. Tonight, you need to relax.”

“I can’t, they got me so mad…” Ellis glared at the door and he knew the arguments from earlier were playing through the kid’s head.

“What if…” It had been playing over in his head like a broken record since the first time they’d kissed a few weeks earlier, but he found that suddenly he was embarrassed. The green eyes looking up at him were wide and waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Yeah?”

Nick licked his lips, smirking when those same green eyes snapped down to follow the movement. 

“What if I help you relax?”

“What do yew mean? Like meditation or something?”

Nick actually laughed at that innocent train of thought. He moved closer and placed his hand on Ellis’ upper thigh. 

“I was thinking of something more...hands on.”

It took Ellis a minute for his brain to catch up and then his eyes became wide as saucers.

“Oh. Oh! Yew mean...sex?”

Nick cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t want to?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I’ve been thinking-”

“About sex? With me?” Ellis sounded so excited. Fuck if the jerk couldn’t be adorable in moments like this. His normal game didn’t quite work on men. Well, the only man he’d ever tried to flirt with, anyway. Ellis didn’t quite pick up on it. He was more of a “straight forward” kind of guy, no pun intended.

“Yes, actually. You for that kind of thing?”

“Heck yeah! I-I have something too. Stole it from a Piggly Wiggly when we was back in Savannah.” Ellis blushed as he got up to grab his bag out from under the bed.

“I’m curious now about what you have.” Nick laid back in the bed again, getting as comfortable as he could. “What could you have held onto all this time?” He grinned as the blush on the younger man’s cheeks just darkened.

“Shut up.” Ellis muttered as he dug around in the bag with his good hand. When he found what he was looking for he let out a sound of triumph.

“Ok, you’ve got me curious, sport, what are you hiding in that bag of yours?”

Ellis kicked the bag back under and sat down on the bed again. Holding his hand out, Nick could see what he was holding. A huge grin spread across his face.

“You dirty dog, you.”

Ellis scooted closer. “What, uh, did yew have in mind?”

Oh, Nick had a lot of things in mind, but he needed to start somewhere.

“How about you lock the door, sport? We don’t need to scar Rochelle.”

Ellis was quick to jump up and lock it, and just as quick to get back to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and let Nick guide him until he was lying flat on his back. This was going to be interesting. There were so many things he wanted to try, but he was still healing, and now Ellis had a busted up hand…

Hand. 

That gave him an idea. He pulled the hat off Ellis’s head and tossed it across the room before leaning down to kiss him. There was much enthusiasm on the younger man’s part but he wasn’t slacking in that area either. His fingers found their way to the belt on Ellis’ jeans and with a quick flick of his wrist he had it open. The pants were undone just as fast. 

It had been a long time since he’d been with another man, but he certainly hadn’t forgotten how things worked. He was already painfully hard and as he slipped one hand down inside of Ellis’ pants, he found that the feeling was definitely mutual.

“Where are your boxers?” He asked, realizing there was nothing between the course jean fabric and the hot, hard flesh he was currently wrapping his fingers around.

“I ain’t had time to wash my stuff. Just...please, whatever yew were gonna do, do it.” 

He liked the begging tone as Ellis whimpered and thrust up into his hand.

“Take your pants off.”

Ellis shoved them down his legs and then kicked them off the bed.

“Yew too.”

Nick wasn’t going to argue. He undid his own pants and rid himself of them. Ellis’ hand found its way into his boxers and wrapped around his length. His fingers moved with a confidence that caught the older man by surprise. A soft moan slipped past his lips that made Ellis smile.

“Yew like that?”

“Hell yeah, I like that. Where did you get such confidence, kid? Cause-” He shivered as a thumb swept over the head and the grip tightened.

“Yew treat me like I’m just some kid, but I’ve seen more and done more than yew know.” There was a cocky tone to the young man’s voice that served to turn Nick on even more.

“Well, why don’t you show me, hot stuff?”

Ellis found the bottle of lube he’d tossed aside and winced at the pain in his injured hand as he squeezed some of the gel into his other hand. He moved it around to warm it up and then rolled onto his side so he was facing Nick.

“Glad I didn’t hurt my good hand.” He joked. Nick grinned.

“Show me what you got, fireball.”

Ellis took that as a challenge. He slid closer and wrapped his hand around both of their erections.

“F-fuck!” Nick hissed. The slick glide of their dicks as Ellis began to move his hand set every nerve in his body on fire.

“Yeah, that’s…” Ellis groaned as he picked up speed. He was past words at that point. Nick loved the way his brow furrowed and his eyes fluttered shut. He didn’t want to admit out loud how beautiful Ellis looked right in that moment. Instead of words, he used his mouth, capturing Ellis in another kiss. His hips thrust forward as he slid easily in Ellis’ firm grip. It felt freaking fantastic.

“Faster.” He whispered against the man’s lips. Ellis did as asked, picking up speed as he brought them racing towards what was about to be one hell of an orgasm. A few twists of his wrist, a swipe over the the frenulum, one last squeeze and Nick was grabbing his arm, gasping as he came hard. He knocked Ellis’ hand out of the way and took over.

“You’re gonna come for me, spit fire. Come on!” With his free hand Nick grabbed the back of Ellis’ neck and this time the kiss was deep, his tongue sliding easily into (nope, he refused to call Ellis the “B” word) the kid’s mouth. He felt the gasp against his own lips and swallowed down his moan as Ellis arched into his hand. The come was hot as it spilled across his hand and he stroked the man through it until he was gently pushed away.

“That was…” Ellis blinked slowly up at him, a post orgasmic smile on his lips.

“Yeah, it was. I loved that.” He hesitated for a moment. “I love you, kid.”

Ellis’ smile grew wider. “I knew that already. I love yew too.”

“You feel more relaxed now?”

Ellis’ laughter rang through the room.

“Heck yeah, but I’m thinking...round two.”

Nick rolled onto his back and groaned. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

_**Two months Later**_ _____________

Rochelle immediately moved into her own room after she discovered Nick and Ellis had started having sex. She'd griped about her space being tainted and that she couldn't possibly handle being locked out of the room so they could fuck. After she'd left, they took over her queen sized bed, abandoning their separate bunk beds.

Rochelle got herself a nice little solo suite down the hall from them. She painted the walls with some spray paint Miguel found for her. She also managed to get her hands on a Depeche Mode poster.

Nick suddenly developed an interest in reading. He cleared off over 20 books and magazines in a fortnight and he was plowing through 5 books a week. 

He'd also gotten to the point where his injuries no longer bothered him. He felt no pain when he twisted his torso and his ankle no longer felt like shit. In fact, he was exercising regularly and getting into shape.

Ellis had been having a tougher time. Being head of the council proved more vexing than he had thought it would be. He was expected to give ideas and help the community but was almost immediately dismissed by the rest of the council for being a dumb, useless kid. Miguel had been experiencing the same problem.

He had suggested the solar garden, he'd suggested letting Goliath patrol the perimeter with Miguel and April, he'd suggested that they set up a better teaching for the few kids on the compound. And he was barely able to convince them to approve his garden idea. The others were discarded.

Eventually he'd snapped and screamed at the rest of the council about how the only way they'd regain any order was if they finally started changing the bigger things instead of focusing on the small, unimportant things. Miguel had given him a small round of applause and he'd sat back down at his chair, irritated and out of breath. 

Apparently that was enough for them to unanimously vote to establish a school. And Nick had been shoved into the position of elementary teacher, something he griped and bitched about for a few days. It was clear though that he enjoyed interacting with the kids he was actually teaching. Rochelle and Ellis had caught him on several occasions kneeling next to a child and letting them blabber away about some unimportant thing. 

“Yew really like kids, huh?” Ellis asked one night when Nick was grading homework. He'd glanced up and nodded before continuing to mark the work.

“Yeah. They're great.”

“Have yew ever wanted kids?” 

“Are you trying to tell me you're pregnant, hot stuff?” He said with a chuckle. Ellis snorted.

“No. Shut up. I'm just askin’.” Nick looked up at him again and nodded.

“I did. And then I had one when I was 22.” Ellis’ eyes widened.

“Yew have a kid?” 

“I had a kid. She died.” Nick said softly. Ellis frowned.

“Oh...how come yew never told me?” 

“I don't like talking about her death.”

“What was her name?” 

“Wendy.” He said with a smile. “Her name was Wendy.” 

“I'm sorry about Wendy.” Ellis said, crossing the room to lean against Nick’s desk and squeeze his shoulder.

“I'm fine now. It took me a long while to come to terms with it but...I'm good. She's better off wherever she is now than she would be in this mess anyways.” He turned his chair and pulled Ellis onto his lap. Ellis made a surprised noise and crossed his arms.

“Yew've got homework to grade.” He said firmly.

“Who cares?” Ellis smiled and wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the third to last chapter. Only two after this. Sorry this chapter took so fucking long but at least it's over 3,000 words. That's a plus :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the new characters. They're important, I promise. Also, two more chapters. It was supposed to be just one after this but I feel like their story isn't near completion.

Helicopter blades spun furiously as Dove looked out the window, eyes scanning the ground below. Her sister, Alouette, and her brother-in-law, Roger, were in the back, looking below for a sign of life. Her co-pilot and older sister, Wren, was focused on staying on their plotted course and not losing focus of flying.

“Do you see anything?” Dove asked over the roar. 

“I see a spot off to the left. Looks like some kind of structure. I can't tell what!” Roger answered.

“I can see it!” Wren said excitedly.

“Then let's go check it out.” Wren and Dove turned the chopper towards the building, eyes glued to the structure. 

“That's a prison!” Alouette shouted.

“At least it'll be secure!” Roger reassured his wife. 

“What if the prisoners are still there?” She asked, worriedly.

“Then we move on!” Wren said.

“Guys! I don't think I can wait! I can't just hold him in!’ She said gesturing to her swollen belly. Roger squeezed her hand and frowned.

“I think we have to land at the prison.” Wren said frowning. 

They flew for a few minutes more until they were hovering above the prison. Dove could see figures moving on the ground below and she frowned.

“Infected. Shit!” She said dismayed.

“Wait! Look!” Roger pointed and they looked down to see someone signaling them below with a mirror. She laughed and high fived Wren. Dove switched on the megaphone and smiled at her sister before speaking.

“Hello! Can you hear me? Signal once for yes and twice for no.” The mirror flashed once and she laughed in relief.

“Would it be possible for us to land safely?” There was no response for a minute and she frowned before the mirror flashed once. 

“Do you have a doctor or medic?” She watched anxiously before the mirror signaled once and she cheered.

“Last question! Are we welcome to land?” The mirror flashed once immediately and she smiled.

“We'll be landing in 2 minutes!” Her and Wren immediately turned tail and headed towards the roof.

After a minute, they lowered themselves carefully and landed on the rooftop. The two of them worked to shut the chopper down while Roger lifted Alouette into his arms and headed towards the group of people rushing towards them. A woman with a stethoscope around her neck ran over to him and gave Alouette a once over.

“How far apart are your contractions?” Alouette frowned.

“They're not.” Her eyes widened and she pulled a glove on quickly and slipped her hand down her pants.

“Shit! We need to get downstairs now. This baby is about to come NOW!” She turned and motioned Roger to follow her. 

Dove put her headset aside and hopped out of the chopper. Wren climbed out after her and slammed the door shut and ran after the group. They entered the prison and rushed down the hall after Alouette and Roger.

They made it downstairs and into the infirmary. The doctor motioned for Roger to lay Alouette on the hospital bed in the corner and she immediately grabbed a stool and sat down in front of her. She grabbed a pair of scissors off the table next to her and began to cut her jeans off.

“You need to watch out Doc. She's got VWD She could hemorrhage like last time.” Wren warned. 

“I'll do my best to make sure she doesn't hemorrhage.” She continued cutting and looked up at Alouette. 

“What's your name, honey?” She groaned in pain and hissed.

“Alouette.” The doctor smiled and pulled the fabric away.

“I'm Dr. Jennifer Kim. But everyone calls me Doxie. You can do the same. Why don't you tell me about yourself?” She drew in a shaky breath.

“I'm a doctor too. Dr. Alouette Vogel-Knight.” 

“What's your specialty?” She asked as she motioned Wren and Dove over. She gestured for each of them to hold up one of her feet.

“Virology.” Doxie raised an eyebrow.

“Wow. Really? I was a neurosurgeon before the infection.” Alouette smiled tensely and went back to her Lamaze.

“Ok guys. Let's deliver this baby.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alouette laid in her bed, five hours later, holding her newborn son in her arms. He whimpered against her chest and gently rubbed his cheek. Roger sat next her, looking down at the newborn. He stroked his wife's hair and kissed her temple. 

“You did it, honey.” She grinned at him. 

“What are we going to name him?”

“You sticking with the bird theme?” Wren asked with a smile.

“Yeah. We were thinking about either Callum Phoenix Vogel-Knight or Griffin Arvid Vogel-Knight.” Alouette said.

“They're both mouthfuls. That poor kid is gonna be bullied mercilessly. Especially by me.” Dove said with a playful grin.

There was a knock on the door and the four of them turned to look at the huge double wide doors. Roger stood and looked back at the three women.

“We have to be careful around these people. They could be stone cold killers.” They nodded solemnly and moved closer together.

Roger opened the door and was greeted to the sight of two men standing in front of him with four trays of food. The shorter man grinned at him and Roger relaxed slightly.

“Pleasure to meet yew. I'm Ellis.” The shorter man said. “This is my buddy Miguel. I guess we're your welcome committee.” Alouette laughed and Ellis smiled at the three women.

“Pleasure to meet yew too, ladies.” He said with a nod.

“We figured you're all probably hungry so we brought some food.” Miguel said, offering a tray to Roger. He took it and smiled graciously. 

“Thank you so much.” He opened the door wider so the two of them could bring the food in for the women.

Ellis handed Wren and Dove a tray each and Miguel placed the last tray on the table next to Alouette’s bed. He looked down at the baby and smiled. Roger took his seat next to his wife again and offered her a bite of rice.

“Well it's real nice to have newcomers. We could always use the extra help. And it's nice to see some more friendly faces.” Ellis said happily.

“You guys seem to have a pretty sweet setup here.” Dove said a bit accusingly.

“It ain't used to be like this. Last lady who ran this place was a total bitch. She had slaves and brothels and shit. Pardon my French.” 

“And who's in charge now?” Roger asked. Ellis and Miguel traded a look before Ellis smiled sheepishly.

“Me I guess. I mean we got a council. But I'm the head of it.” Wren looked surprised.

“You? But you're so young.” 

“He's also the only one with political experience. Ran for mayor of Savannah a couple of years ago.” Miguel declared.

“So, you've really got this place working well. Power!” Dove said, throwing them a peace sign.

“If yew don't mind me asking, what're your names?” 

“I'm Dr. Alouette Vogel-Knight. This is my husband Roger, my sister's Wren and Dove, and this little guy is still unnamed.” She said, touching the baby's nose.

“A doctor? What kind?” Miguel asked.

“I deal in virology. I study viruses.” 

“And she's our best bet at a vaccine.” Wren added.

“A vaccine? You think you can make one?” She shrugged. 

“I'd need a lab, dozens of supplies, living subjects, blood samples, skin samples, urine and fecal matter, brain matter, and a ton of other things. Plus it's not exactly a one woman job. I'd need other experts and assistants. It'd be very difficult to do on my own.”

“But not impossible?” Miguel asked.

“No, not impossible. But I can't exactly start testing without the tools I need. And a few weeks to rest up. I did just push a child out of me.” 

“How about yew meet our supply chief. We'll make your list top priority once you're back on your feet. I'll even ask around and see if anyone's got experience in Virology.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Miguel grabbed Ellis’ arm and pulled him towards the exit.

“We'll let you rest. Adam will come here soon with Doxie and help you three into a community room.” He said to Roger and Alouette. “And we'll get you two separate rooms or a shared one if you want. Just talk to Adam and Doxie when they get here.”

“See y'all later.” Ellis waved and the two of them left the infirmary. 

“I don't think this place is half bad.” Wren said.

“I thought it might be but it seems…pleasant.” Alouette piped up. 

“Hopefully it stays that way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, leave a comment about which name you prefer for the baby
> 
> 1.) Callum Phoenix  
> Or  
> 2.) Griffin Arvid
> 
> And yes, those are bird names


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I took ages to upload again. Sorry I'm so damn slow guys. But thanks for being patient. Writers block is a killer. But there should only be one more chapter left! So yay! And :( 
> 
> I love this story. I can't believe I started this series last April and it's almost over.

Ellis returned to his room after meeting the new arrivals. He made sure to tell the security to let them leave if they wanted to. He wanted to make sure they knew how safe the compound was. And that they were safe there.

Nick was doing pull ups when Ellis walked in. His eyebrows shot up as he watched him workout. He was surprisingly very interested in exercise and seemed to obsess over his physique. He began working out more frequently when Ellis made a joke about him being old the week before.

“Yew exercise too much.” Nick dropped down and turned to look at him. 

“No I don't. I'm just trying to stay in shape.” He wiped his face and chest off and threw the towel over his shoulder. 

“Yew’re in shape. Yew tryin’ to turn into one of those big, muscly guys?” Nick snorted and shook his head.

“No. I'm trying to get muscular though.” Ellis crossed the room and sat down in Nick’s office chair.

“Why?”

“Because I want to.” Ellis rolled his eyes.

“Whatever floats your boat.” 

“What's up with the new people? I heard a lot of screaming.” 

“One of the ladies had a baby. They're alright though.” 

“How many people are there?” Nick asked, sitting on the edge of their bed.

“Five now, I guess. Three ladies, one man, and the baby. And the mom is a doctor too. She's in virology.” Nick raised an eyebrow.

“Like viruses?” Ellis nodded.

“Yeah. And her sister said that they think she can make a vaccine.” Nick smiled.

“Holy shit! Really?” Ellis grinned.

“Yeah! We'd just need to help her get a lab set up and get her the stuff she needs. But her sisters seem confident! So I'm feeling hopeful!” Nick looked shocked and Ellis rolled over to him and beamed at him. 

“We might have a way out of this damn apocalypse.” Nick said softly. 

“I really wish I had my guitar right now.” Nick seemed taken aback and Ellis laughed. “Oh admit it, music would be awesome right now. I feel like partying.”

“You actually play?” 

“Yeah. Why? Yew surprised?” 

“Honestly? Yeah, I am. I didn't think you actually played.” Ellis looked confused for a moment before realization dawned.

“I could play when yew were out. In the dream.” Nick nodded.

“I figured it was another thing wrong. You were also 26 in my dream. And your eyes were gray, not green. Looking back now, I'm surprised I didn't notice.” He said, his head cocked as he scanned Ellis’ face.

“What else was wrong?” He frowned and looked down, trying to think. 

“Rochelle and Coach fought and then didn't. I was confused. And you also told me about how your mom…” He trailed off and Ellis nodded. “But then you said she was alive. And then she was gone again a few hours later. I heard voices and saw things. Like my brain couldn't keep the facts straight.”

“Holy shit. I didn't think it was that bad.”

“It was...complicated in there. I saw shit that I haven't thought of in years. Things I would like to forget.” 

“I can sing too.” Nick gave him a confused look and Ellis smiled at him. 

“What?”

“I don't just play guitar. I sing too.” 

“Why are you telling me that?” Ellis shrugged and stood from the chair.

“Want me to sing for yew? I can sing pretty much anything.” 

“How about you wait until you get a guitar? Then sing for me. And I expect to hear Heaven by Warrant.” Ellis grinned and kissed the top of Nick’s head.

“Yew got it, hot stuff.” 

“Hey! That's my thing!” Ellis kissed his head again and chuckled.

“Oh shut up. Yew got all these nicknames for me. I need one for yew.”

“That's fair.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

 _ **One month later**_ _____________

Alouette sat at the lab table, her eye glued to her microscope and her hand scribbling on her notepad without looking. She frowned and pulled away and wrote a more legible note down. Her assistant, Landon, watched worriedly and tapped his pen on the table. She slapped a hand down over his and looked up at him annoyed.

“Stop it. I can't concentrate with your incessant tapping.” He nodded and laid his pen down.

“Sorry, Dr. Vogel-Knight.” She nodded took the slide out and slid the other one in. 

“Landon, record.” He turned on the tape recorder and she studied the cells on the slide.

“Log 32, August 15th, 01:25, 2008. The cells from batch 29 were injected with the newest variant of the vaccine at 23:04, on Wednesday, 14th in the month of August, 2008. They seem to be reacting negatively to the vaccine. Most of the cells are dead and the rest seem to be weakened. This is the first progress any of the variants of the vaccine has had. I will update ASAP.” She motioned for Landon to end the recording and eyeballed the slide again before pulling it out. 

“Landon put this in the safe. And be careful with it please. I need those cells to live.” He nodded and very carefully crossed the room to place the cells in the refrigerated safe, making sure to lay them horizontally.

“How do the cells look?” He asked.

“They're dying. And quickly. I might be able to start doing animal trials soon. So long as this vaccine doesn't mess up. But for now,” She started, pulling her gloves off. “I'm going to go get some sleep and check on Griffin. Goodnight Landon.” She washed her hands and left the lab, a hopeful smile on her face.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Already?!” Miguel and Ellis asked in unison. Alouette was standing before the council with her hands in her pockets and a serious look on her face.

“Yes. I tested vaccine 29 on batch 29 two days ago and the cells are all dead. The virus itself isn't as strong as I thought. A virus that's done this much damage in such a short time would usually take a team of experts years to map out its DNA and develop a basic vaccine.” Ellis looked at Miguel who had sat back in his seat, a shocked look on his face.

“I'd like to start animal trials if you'll allow it.” 

“Obviously.” Ellis said immediately.

“Now hold on, Mr. Whitley.” Ellis and Miguel rolled their eyes and turned to look at Jason, one of the older members of the council.

“What seems to be the problem, Mr. Vandewalle?” Miguel asked.

“Shouldn't we at least see proof that you have succeeded in making this “ _basic_ ” vaccine? And not just take your word?” 

“Dr. Vogel-Knight has been working diligently for well over a month now. Why on Earth would a woman who has been sacrificing time with her family lie about a vaccine?” Karen, another member, spoke up. 

“Exactly. I say we take a vote.” Miguel suggested.

“Alright. All in favor of letting Dr. Vogel-Knight do animal trials, say aye.” 

There was a resounding _aye_ from everyone except Jason who crossed his arms and slumped down in his seat. Ellis smiled and looked down at the end of the table at Alouette. 

“Go talk to Dina about getting the keys to the chicken coop. Try to only take a couple of chickens. We've only got so many.” She nodded and backed away from the table. 

“Thank you all so much.” She smiled graciously and quickly left the room.

“What the hell was that Whitley?” Jason demanded, looking at Ellis.

“What?”

“This council is here for a reason, young man. I think you'd find it in your best interest to consult us before you start telling people yes.”

“I'm guessing yew think I should ask for yer permission to fuck my boyfriend too?” There was a ripple of laughter through the room as Jason’s face reddened. He stood and glared down at Ellis.

“You better watch your mouth, son.” Ellis stood and crossed his arms.

“Yew’re not threatening me, are yew? Because I'm pretty sure that'll get yew a unanimous vote to kick yew off this council.” Jason looked at the rest of the council who were all looking up at him in disgust.

“I'm not threatening. I'm just...warning you.”

“Still kinda sounds like a threat.” Miguel uttered without looking up from his notepad.

“I'm just doing what's best for the community.

“I think you keeping your mouth shut is better.” Uma piped up. 

“Whatever.” He grabbed his things and stomped out of the room. 

“What a baby.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alouette flicked the syringe and eyed it before tilting the chicken’s neck and injecting it. It clucked and she cooed to it before kissing it on the head. The hen shook her head and Alouette stroked her neck.

“Poor chick.” Landon muttered. Alouette nodded.

“That's the one thing I hate about the job. The animal testing is awful.” She handed the hen to Landon and pulled another hen out of the cage on the lab table. “But you have to do what you have to do. At least these are older girls.” 

“Do you think this will work?” Landon asked as she handed him the last hen.

“It has to. Human trials are too dangerous.” She tossed the syringe away and peeled her gloves off. Landon peeled his off too and threw them in the trash bin. 

“So do we monitor them now?” She nodded.

“We've got a lot of work and a long week ahead of us.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alouette was woken suddenly by Landon shaking her. She lifted her head from her desk and groaned at the fluorescent lights that were glowing above her. She looked over at Landon who had one of the cages open and a chicken in his arms.

“What happened?” She asked, stretching her arms.

“They're all dead.” Her eyes widened and she stood from her chair to look in the cages. 

Each chicken was dead in its cage, save for the dead one in Landon’s arms. She slammed her fist down on the table and growled in frustration. Landon laid the dead hen down back in its cage.

“Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!” She screamed, knocking the cages down. Landon placed a hand on her shoulder but she pushed him away.

“Dr. Vogel-Knight. Calm down.” She growled at him and his eyes widened.

“Alouette? Are you alright?” She turned to see Roger standing in the doorway with Griffin in his arms.

“No I'm not. The vaccine killed the chickens.” He looked at the cages and frowned.

“Of course it did.” She looked up at her husband and frowned.

“What?”

“They're chickens, baby. Not people. Have you seen the Green Flu affect anything besides people?” She shook her head.

“No. Only people.”

“Exactly. So you need to test on humans. Not chickens.” She sighed and laid her head on the table.

“Fuck.” 

“Where are we going to get people to test on? And how are we going to convince the council to let us inject people with the vaccine? Especially after said vaccine killed 6 chickens.” Landon asked, picking up the cages.

“I've got to talk to Ellis first. Maybe Miguel too. They're more willing to listen to me than the others are.” She rubbed her temples and grimaced. 

“Well how about you worry about that in the morning? Griffin is hungry and I'm sure he'd love to spend time with his mommy.” She smiled and crossed the room to take her son from her husband. 

“Landon, take the chickens to the incinerator and close up the lab. You and I will speak to Miguel and Ellis tomorrow.” 

“Yes, Dr. Vogel-Knight. Have a good night.”

“You too, Landon.” She left the lab with Griffin in her arms and Roger walking with her, his arm on her shoulders.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Alouette knocked softly on Ellis’ door and waited for him to answer. There was a shuffling sound followed by a heavy thump. The door was quickly pulled open by Nick, who she'd only met twice. He smiled awkwardly and brushed his long hair out of his eyes. 

“Hello Nick. Is Ellis in?” Nick snorted and she smiled.

“Well he was earlier.” She snickered and Nick started laughing.

“What's so funny?” Ellis asked, coming up behind Nick.

“Nothing. Alouette needs to talk to you.” Ellis slipped his boots on and slipped past Nick into the hallway.

“What's up?”

“I was wondering if you could call a council meeting?” He frowned and crossed his arms.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“All of my test chickens...died. And my husband made an obvious statement. Something I should have figured out myself.”

“What's that?”

“I need a human subject.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "GOODBYE TO YOU  
> GOODBYE TO EVERYTHING THAT I KNEW  
> YOU WERE THE ONE I LOVED  
> THE ONE THING THAT I TRIED TO HOLD ON TO  
> THE ONE THING THAT I TRIED TO HOLD ON TOOOOOO"
> 
>  
> 
> This is it. The final chapter. The finale of a series I've been working on since April 2016. The last chapter put up only 10 days before the one year anniversary of the first one. I hope you enjoy.

Ellis sat at the head of the table while the rest of the Council took their assigned seats. Miguel sat down on Ellis’ right side while Jason took a seat on his left, much to Ellis’ dismay. Alouette took the seat at the other end of the table and pulled out a thick, manila folder.

“Let the meeting commence.” Jason said. Ellis rolled his eyes and looked at Miguel who sighed.

“Members of the Council, I would like to formally request permission to use human subjects.” 

The Council erupted into protest as Ellis slammed his hand down on the table. They fell silent and all eyes turned to him. The young man crossed his arms and looked directly at Alouette.

“What happened to the chickens, Doc?”

“They...died.” Jason made a noise of disbelief.

“So you want to do to us what you did to those hens? I don't think so.”

“And I don't think yew have the right to make decisions by yerself.” Ellis butted in, making sure to stare down Jason.

“What about volunteers?” Miguel suggested. “The Council wouldn't be at fault and neither would the doctor. We're not forcing them. We're just asking them to roll up their sleeves and take one for the team.” 

“That is…not a half bad idea.” Jason said, sounding defeated.

“All in favor of asking for volunteers for Dr. Vogel-Knight’s vaccine?” Miguel asked.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Nick smiled as his younger students ran around the yard, chasing one another. They were playing an intense game of freeze tag and the taggers were winning. His older students were huddled around an old boombox listening to music and talking. 

“Hey.” He turned to see Miguel walking out if the prison. He took a seat next to Nick on the steps and rested his arms on his knees.

“What's up?”

“The Council meeting just wrapped up. Dr. Vogel-Knight thinks she found a vaccine. But she needs human subjects.”

“Who's doing it?”

“Nobody. Ellis is calling a mandatory meeting after dinner meeting to ask for volunteers.”

“It's gonna be one of _those_ days, isn't it?” Miguel chuckled and nodded.

“Yup.”

The two men sat in silence and watched the freeze tag game die down as the taggers won. Nick looked at his watch and stood up. 

“Time to go in!” The little kids groaned and protested. The older students picked up their things and trudged inside.

“Mr. Nick! Can't we just play for five more minutes?” He laughed.

“No. I gave you five more minutes, 10 minutes ago. Time for science.” The kids pulled their shoes back on and ran inside past Nick and Miguel.

“You teach science too?” He laughed and shook his head.

“No. Math and science are Landon’s job. I'm history and English and everything else. Including gun handling and practice. Which the older kids seem to like the most.” Miguel laughed.

“Well I'll see you at dinner.” He waved and headed inside.

Nick headed to his classroom where Landon was handing out different class work for the different grades. He headed to his desk and began grading the English homework as Landon talked about photosynthesis and sedimentary rocks. 

“Nick.” He looked up to see Ellis standing in the doorway, motioning Nick over. He sighed and laid his pen aside and stepped into the hall.

“I'm popular today.” 

“Rochelle just told me she's volunteering for the vaccine trial.”

“She is? Isn't it dangerous though?”

“She said she wants to help save the world.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Rochelle sat on the edge of Alouette’s as the doctor prepared her needles. She rolled her sleeve up as Alouette turned to her and wiped her arm with a cotton swab coated in rubbing alcohol. Her arm twitched nervously and Alouette smiled.

“I can give you something to calm your nerves if you want.” Rochelle shook her head and steadied her arm.

“No. Let's just do this.” Alouette nodded and grabbed a tourniquet off her tray and wrapped it around her upper arm. She grabbed the syringe with the vaccine and held it up in front of her face.

“You ready?” Rochelle nodded and Alouette gently eased the needle into her arm and emptied its contents. 

The door slammed open and Nick burst in, a panicked look on his face. He saw Alouette place the bandage over Rochelle’s injection site and he sighed in defeat. He collapsed in a chair and took a deep breath.

“What's with you?”

“I came here to stop you.” 

“Well you're too late. It's already done.”

“Yeah I can see that.” 

“I feel fine, Nick. I'm sure I'll be ok. Don't worry.” He crossed the room to stand in front of her and she wrapped her arms around him.

“But what if you're not?”

“Then we try again. And we keep trying until we save the day.” He hugged her back and Alouette smiled at them. 

“Well I'm going to be doing most of the saving.” The three of them laughed and Rochelle pulled her into their hug.  
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

_**Five Years Later** _   
**______________**

Ellis grimaced as he wiped red liquid off on his jeans. He wiped off his knife and rolled his eyes. 

“No matter how many times I do this, I ain't never getting used to it.” 

“It's a tomato, El. It's not the end of the world.” Nick breezed past him with a box of dry pasta and a cooking pot. 

“It's still gross. And squishy.”

“Tomato typically is. Just like a lot of fruit. So finish chopping the tomato and move to the onion.”

Nick filled up the pot and added a pinch of pink salt and sunflower oil to the water. He put the items away and pulled out dishes from the cabinet and silverware from the drawer.

“I don't understand why we're goin’ all out. It's just Rochelle, Miguel, and April.”

“And don't forget the Vogel-Knights and the Knights. And baby Tomas.”

“Ugh. Do we even have enough for everybody?”

Nick up behind his partner and kissed the top of his head. Ellis rolled his eyes and scraped the tomato into a glass bowl. He picked up an onion and waved it at Nick.

“Yew better move. Or yew’re gonna start crying.” Nick laughed and smacked Ellis’ butt. The younger man made a noise of indignation and Nick chuckled.

“You're not angry. Start chopping.”   
\-------------------------------------------------------------

Their dinner guests began arriving a few minutes after the food finished cooking. As their friends took their places at the small dining table, the two men brought out the food and drinks. The group of people were buzzing with excitement and all were talking over one another.

“Did you guys hear the president's statement on the radio this morning?” Alouette asked she took a sip of water.

“I did! Can you believe we'll have television soon? I'm so excited!” April said with a huge grin.

“I miss my shows.” Rochelle sighed. 

“Won't they all be cancelled though?” Miguel asked. Ro frowned and her shoulders deflated. 

“Shit. You're right. That sucks. I'm really gonna miss Law and Order.” 

Nick sat down at the head of the table and Ellis sat down on his right side. Nick looked at his friends and raised an eyebrow.

“Shouldn't you be more excited that's it's been four years since Alouette saved the world?” The doctor blushed and waved him off. Roger kissed her cheek and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Isn't that why we're all here? To celebrate?” Miguel asked.

“Hell yeah it is!” Ellis said with an enormous grin that took up half his face. Nick noticed a few laugh lines on his face and smiled softly. 

Even though his partner was 28, he'd developed a few age traits. Like the fact that his scruffy beard was sprinkled with gray hairs and he had a few crows feet around his eyes from his constant laughing and smiling. His nails were kept short and almost always covered in oil no matter how much he washed his hands. 

“Why are yew staring at me?” Ellis asked Nick, snapping him out of his daze. Nobody else at the table seemed to notice and for that Nick was grateful.

“Because you're beautiful.” Ellis snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Yew’re such a sap.”

“Did you guys hear that the needle Alouette used to inject Rochelle is going into the Smithsonian next March in the Virus exhibit? They also have a couple of the cases that dropped the vaccines and one of the drop ships! It's so cool! They have stuff on all of us there.” Wren said excitedly.

“Hopefully nothing on CEDA.” Nick muttered.

“Oh they do but it's nothing good. Ever since we found out they released the virus, they've been dedicated to only showing off their mistakes and wrongdoings.” 

“It's been a crazy few years, ain't it?” Ellis said. Nobody answered because they knew it wasn't a question.

“At least we survived. And managed to save the world along the way. Cheers to that!” Nick raised his glass and everyone cheered with him.   
**\-------------------------------------------------------------**

March 25th, 2015  
______________

Nick and Ellis walked through the crowded Smithsonian towards the Green Flu Outbreak exhibit. The museum had changed quite a bit since Nick had gone to it more than 10 years before. It seemed like it'd gone through and still managed to come out swinging.

The two of them finally made it into the exhibit and both of their jaws dropped immediately. A huge airship hung from the ceiling above them and across the room hung Wren and Dove’s stolen chopper. A huge photo of Alouette hung on the wall next to them and they walked up to it to read her quote written on the wall next to it. 

_”All it took was one needle, one smart young nurse, and two strong as hell women to save the world, and to me? That's pretty damn impressive.”_

“Let's go look at our section!” Ellis said excitedly. “I've always wanted to be in a museum.” 

The two of them walked over to a large portrait of Nick, Ellis, Rochelle, Miguel, and April. There was a mannequin wearing Nicks bloody white suit with the blue shirt. There was also a mannequin wearing Rochelle’s Depeche Mode shirt and her jeans and boots.

“It's too bad your Bullshifters shirt isn't up there.” Nick said.

“I'd never give up my baby. Not in a million years.” 

“I'm still never letting you wear that ever again. It stays in its frame in the living room.” Ellis scoffed and continued looking at their section. 

A few people around them did a double take and seemed surprised when they recognized them. An older woman asked for a picture with the two of them and a teenage girl asked if they were married yet.

“No. We know it's legal and stuff but we ain't married or engaged.” 

“Actually…” Ellis turned to look at Nick who kneeled down in front of him. 

“Oh my God.”

Nick smiled before leaning down and tying his shoe. He stood back up and Ellis shoved him. Nick laughed loudly and a few people around them chuckled. 

“Yer an asshole.” 

“Did you actually think I'd propose to you in a museum? I'm much classier than that. I mean, look at that dope suit and my golden pistols. I'm classy as hell.” 

“Yer still an asshole.” 

“Don't worry. We'll get married one day. Maybe. I might die first. I am pretty old.” Ellis sighed.

“Yew ain't ever gonna stop holding that over are yew?”

“Nope. It's why you love me.”

“Whatever.”

“I love you, hayseed.” Nick said softly, grabbing Ellis’ hand.

“I love you too, Nick. And don't worry. I do still really like you.” Nick leaned down and kissed his partners forehead. 

“I like you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End
> 
>  
> 
> ♡


End file.
